hinn      Bun 


.ifciVi  1 1  It  an^- Coin 


IN  MEMORIAM 
BERNARD   MOSES 


LESSONS  IN  ENGLISH 


BASED    UPON 


PRINCIPLES  OF  LITERARY  INTERPRETATION 


A  MANUAL  FOR  TEACHERS  OF  ALL 
GRADES,  WITH  LESSONS  FOR  PUPILS 
OF  THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  GRADES 


BY 

W.   H.   SKINNER 

LATE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS,  NEBRASKA  CITY,  NEBRASKA 
AND 

CELIA   M.   BURGERT 

STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL,   STEVENS  POINT,   WISCONSIN 
LATELY  SUPERVISOR  OF  PRIMARY  SCHOOLS,  BEATRICE,  NEBRASKA 


SILVER,    BURDETT   AND   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  BOSTON  CHICAGO 


BERNARD  MOSES 

COPYRIGHT,  1902, 

BY  SILVER,  BURDETT  AND  COMPANY 


INTRODUCTORY    NOTE 

THE  accompanying  work  was  prepared  by  Superin- 
tendent Skinner  and  his  coadjutor  two  years  ago,  and 
would  have  been  issued  earlier  but  for  the  untimely 
death  of  the  former  of  these  persons.  Mr.  Skinner 
was  a  gifted  and  progressive  educator,  and  had  proved 
himself  signally  successful  in  reaching  young  minds 
with  subjects  and  instruction  generally  considered  far 
beyond  their  years.  He  demonstrated  that  nature 
work  with  the  microscope  was  practicable  for  pupils 
in  the  earliest  grades.  He  introduced  new  and  suc- 
cessful features  into  almost  every  primary  and  gram- 
mar year.  His  latest  success  was  won  in  adapting  to 
the  first  years  of  primary  work  modes  and  tasks  in 
literary  interpretation  which  are  used  in  secondary  and 
higher  instruction. 

This  manual  is  largely  a  compendium  of  results 
obtained  by  Miss  Burgert,  under  the  supervision  of 
Mr.  Skinner,  in  administering  the  instruction  called  for 
in  the  attempt  last  named.  The  success  of  the  ex- 
periment was  so  immediate  and  remarkable  that  the 
teachers  of  Nebraska  and  other  states  were  anxious  to 
have  the  material  and  method  cast  in  a  form  practica- 
ble for  use  in  their  own  schools.  Mr.  Skinner  re- 
sponded to  this  demand  by  editing  and  compiling  the 
most  suggestive  material  from  the  classroom  into  this 


iv  INTRODUCTORY    NOTE 

manual.  It  was  projected  to  serve  as  an  introductory 
or  method  book  to  a  series  of  school  readers,  upon  a 
new  and  comprehensive  plan,  that  should  supply  all 
needs  in  English  work  from  the  first  primary  through 
the  last  of  the  grammar  grades.  The  present  volume 
was  laid  aside  till  the  other  books  should  be  at  least 
sketched  out,  but  in  this  interim  its  author  was  stricken 
with  fever  from  which  he  did  not  recover.  The  work 
remains,  except  for  palpable  errors  and  oversights  cor- 
rected, substantially  as  he  left  it. 

This  book  is  intended  to  put  into  elementary  applica- 
tion principles  of  literary  study  that  have  been  used 
in  the  University  of  Nebraska  since  1890.  It  is  the 
earliest  attempt  to  make  those  principles  and  methods 
available  for  the  quickening  and  ennobling  of  young 
minds.  Its  paramount  object  is  the  education  of  the 
feelings ;  of  taste  before  the  intellect,  instead  of  the 
intellect  before  taste.  I  am  glad,  by  the  present  word, 
to  introduce  this  handbook  of  my  valued  friend  and 
pupil,  and  to  certify  to  the  correctness  of  the  adapta- 
tions undertaken  in  it,  having  confidence  that,  with 
ordinary  diligence  and  faith  in  the  teacher,  it  will  do 
its  work. 

L.  A.  SHERMAN. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NEBRASKA. 


PREFACE 

IN  its  method  of  presentation  this  manual  is  intended 
for  teachers  of  all  grades.  The  lessons  and  selections 
are  especially  adapted  to  pupils  of  the  first  two  grades, 
although  they  can  be  used  to  great  advantage  with 
other  classes  that  have  not  had  the  work.  Every  lesson 
and  every  selection  have  been  tested  with  pupils  of  the 
first  grade. 

The  poems  used  in  the  exercises  are  mainly  such  as 
refer  to  nature.  The  aim  has  been  to  select  subjects  that 
lie  palpably  within  the  child's  experiences  and  interest. 
Poems  of  fancy  and  intellectual  gems  have  not  been 
included,  because  they  are  less  effective  in  first  inter- 
pretative studies,  and  because  they  do  not  need  so  much 
attention  in  early  years.  The  stories  have  been  con- 
densed into  "effect"  elements  as  much  as  possible,  in 
order  to  give  the  children  a  chance  to  think  for  them- 
selves. They  contain  many  "  character  hints "  be- 
cause of  the  literary  as  well  as  the  moral  value  of 
such  materials. 

The  presentations  of  the  several  principles  have  been 
made  in  the  form  of  accurate  reports  of  recitations  as 
conducted  in  a  school  of  first-grade  pupils.  Hence  the 
reader  may  judge  from  original  exhibits  or  " sources. " 
By  this  means  also,  many  details  of  presentation  have 
been  included  which  could  not  have  been  set  forth  in 
any  other  way.  The  reported  recitations  should  be 
studied  closely,  since,  like  all  original  sources,  they 


vi  PREFACE 

offer  much  by  way  of  suggestion.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  the  plan  of  work  has  the  following  especial 
features :  — 

1.  Literary  interpretation  is  made  the  basis  for  ac- 
quiring language. 

2.  The    pupil   is    employed    upon    matters    that    lie 
within  his  experience  and  that  are  adapted  to  arouse 
his  interest.     Questions  like  "  What  does  this  call  to 
your  mind?"  make  the  subject  his  own. 

3.  The   pupil   is   made   to   appreciate   the    emotion- 
content,  as  well  as  the  idea-content,  of  words,  of  phrases, 
and  of  the  other  and  larger  elements  of  expression. 

The  method  is  an  adaptation  of  the  interpretative 
system  of  studying  literature,  originated  by  Dr.  L.  A. 
Sherman,  of  the  University  of  Nebraska,  to  whom  the 
authors  are  indebted  for  principles  and  ideas  and  for 
advice  and  inspiration.  The  adaptation  of  college 
methods,  which  is  here  presented,  is  the  outcome  of 
several  years'  experiment  and  study,  and  has  been 
variously  tested,  in  many  schools  of  the  country,  with 
gratifying  success. 

The  selections,  The  Violet  and  Snowflakes,  by  Lucy 
Larcom;  November,  A  Fable  of  Cloudland,  and  The 
Story  of  a  Blackbird,  by  Alice  Gary ;  portions  of  Don't 
Give  Up,  by  Phoebe  Gary ;  and  We  Thank  Thee,  by 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  are  used  by  arrangement  with 
and  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Company,  the 
authorized  publishers  of  the  writings  of  these  authors. 
Acknowledgments  for  the  use  of  selections  printed  by 
permission  of  other  publishers  accompany  the  selections. 

W.  H.  SKINNER, 
CELIA  M.  BURGERT. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

SUGGESTIONS  TO  THE  TEACHER xi 

PART  I 
PRINCIPLES   OF   INTERPRETATION 

CHAPTER   I 

"EFFECTS,"  OR  "HINTS" 3 

Definition  and  illustrations  —  Outline  of  these  —  Other 
divisions  of  the  same  —  Suggestions  —  How  to  make 
lessons  in  "effects"  —  First  step  in  teaching  "hints" 
—  Second  step  —  Third  step  —  Fourth  step  —  Illustra- 
tive lessons. 

CHAPTER   II 

EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 22 

Definition  and  illustrations  —  The  emotion-content  of 
words  —  Illustrations  from  Goldsmith,  Gray,  P.  B. 
Marston,  Tennyson  —  Two  compositions  from  pupils  of 
the  fifth  grade  —  Suggestions  —  Some  lessons  from  the 
lowest  class  of  the  first  grade. 

CHAPTER   III 

THE  STUDY  OF  METAPHOR  AND  TYPES  ....  33 
Illustrations  of  how  and  why  we  use  types  —  The  type  a 
fundamental  principle  in  expression  —  Some  lessons  on 
metaphor,  given  with  children  of  the  first  grade  —  Some 
compositions  from  pupils  of  the  lower  grades,  involving 
the  use  of  types  —  Caution  against  the  cultivation  of 
cant. 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   IV 

PAGE 

THE  THEME 38 

Its  importance  —  Leading  pupils  to  interpret  the  theme  — 
Caution  against  "preaching"  the  theme  at  children  — 
Showing  how  to  adapt  some  poems  so  as  to  give  the 
pupils  a  chance  to  interpret  —  Difference  between  dis- 
section and  interpretation  —  "  Analysis  "  too  often  noth- 
ing more  than  mechanical  pulling  to  pieces. 

CHAPTER  V 

POSES  AND  PICTURES 41 

Three  things  involved  in  the  simplest  description  —  The 
first  step  —  The  second  step  —  Pose  No.  I.  —  Variety  of 
expression  —  Illustrative  lesson  —  Third  step  —  More 
complication — Pose  No.  II.  —  Suggestions  on  form  — 
Fourth  step — Pose  No.  III.  —  Imaginative  description 
—  Study  of  effects  in  pictures  —  "  A  Helping  Hand,"  by 
Renouf—  "Adrift"  —  " A  Fascinating  Tale,"  by  Mme. 
Ronner — Laws  of  composition  —  How  to  employ  them. 

CHAPTER  VI 

SUGGESTIONS  ON  TEACHING  THE  FORMS       .        .        .        -51 
Necessity  of  special  drills  —  Keeping  list  of  pupils'  mis- 
takes —  Lessons  on  singular  and  plural  forms  of  verbs 
and  nouns  —  On  use  of  a  and  an  —  On  tense  forms. 

PART   II 
SELECTIONS  AND   STUDIES 

FOR  STUDY  OF  "EFFECTS,"  OR  "HINTS"  .  .  .  -57 
FOR  STUDY  OF  EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES  .  .  96 
FOR  STUDY  OF  METAPHOR  AND  TYPES  .  .  .  .123 
FOR  STUDY  OF  THE  THEME 129 

INDEX 149 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

POSE  No.  1 16 

POSE  No.  II. 24 

POSE  No.  Ill 36 

POSE  No.  IV 40 

ADRIFT 44 

A  HELPING  HAND 48 

A  FASCINATING  TALE   .        . 52 


SUGGESTIONS    TO    THE   TEACHER 

1.  READ  the  theory  of  each  subject  and  study  the 
illustrative  lessons,  then  go  back  and  read  the  discus- 
sion more  carefully.      The  illustrative  lessons  are  the 
actual  exercises  as  given  in  primary  classes  under  aver- 
age conditions.     In  a  few  cases  illustrations  have  been 
presented  that  were  not  reports  of  class  recitations,  but 
these  are  specified  clearly  and  are  very  brief.     Hence 
the  teacher  may  rest  assured  that  she  is  seeing  work 
that  has  actually  been  done. 

2.  Observe  the  emphasis  placed  upon  oral  composi- 
tion.    In  all  the  lower  grades  this  should  have  prece- 
dence.    In  the  latter  half  of  the  first  year  some  written 
work  may  be  given.     From  that  time  on,   the  written 
work   should   be   gradually   increased   and   broadened. 
The  most  of  our  language  "  composition  "  in  life  is  oral, 
not  written. 

3.  Do  not  begin  the  study  of  emotional  words  and 
phrases  until  the  pupils  have  done  considerable  work  in 
"hints."     In  the  first  grade,  half  a  year  should  be  given 
to  work  in   "  hints"   before   taking  up  the   emotional 
words. 

4.  Note  what  is  said  about  holding  pupils  to  correct 
logic  in  "effect"  work,  especially  when  they  select  or 
prepare  "  effects  "  for  the  teacher  to  interpret. 


CHAPTER   I 

EFFECTS   OR  HINTS 

I 

THE  most  important  part  of  reading  is  the  getting  of 
the  author's  thought  and  feeling.  To  do  this  it  is  neces- 
sary to  study  what  are  called  "  Effects."  The  best 
writers  do  not  give  us  both  the  cause  and  the  effect. 
They  give  the  effect  only,  and  expect  us  to  interpret  the 
cause  by  inference.  Therefore  it  becomes  necessary  to 
teach  the  child  to  interpret  effects,  and  to  develop  his 
power  of  inference. 

In  lower  grades  we  call  effects  "  hints." 

Of  these  effects  we  may  make  three  divisions,  viz. : 
Effects  of  Incident,  of  Mood,  and  of  Character. 

(a)  An  Effect  of  Incident  tells  that  something  has 
happened,  may  happen,  or  will  happen;  or  it  may  be 
that  some  state  or  condition  is  set  forth. 

For  example,  —  I  see  a  man  leaning  on  his  rake  while 
he  holds  his  hat  and  wipes  his  forehead.  This  tells  the 
time  of  the  year ;  also  that  the  man  is  both  warm  and 
tired. 

On  the  street  car  I  see  a  man  with  a  little  toy  carpet 
sweeper. 

What  does  that  tell  ?     What  tells  it  ? 

3 


4  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

•  '(b)  An  Effect  of  Mood  tells  us  the  mood  or  feeling 
of  a  person,  or  perhaps  of  some  intelligence  below  the 
human. 

A  little  girl,  while  playing  on  the  sidewalk,  sees  a 
large  dog.  She  screams  and  runs  to  the  gate. 

What  do  her  scream  and  running  tell  you  ?  She  is 
frightened.  What  has  caused  the  child  at  some  time 
to  fear  a  dog  ? 

A  mother  with  white  face  and  clasped  hands  kneels 
by  the  bedside  of  her  moaning  child. 

What  is  the  mood  of  the  mother  ?     What  tells  it  ? 

(c)  An  Effect  of  Character  tells  some  trait  of  char- 
acter, or,  it  may  be,  the  whole  character. 

For  example,  —  You  hear  one  child  say  to  another, 
"  I  don't  like  you  because  your  clothes  are  all  patched." 
Are  you  not  able  to  read  that  child's  character  from 
her  one  sentence  ? 

Sitting  opposite  me  in  the  car,  I  saw  an  aged  gen- 
tleman. He  wore  on  his  vest,  over  his  heart,  a  gold 
pin  with  a  black  enamel  border,  on  which  was  engraved 
the  word,  Myra. 

I  saw  him  only  once,  but  that  pin  told  me  of  his 
constancy,  and  of  the  pride  he  took  in  that  constancy. 

That  "effect"  showed  those  traits  of  character  as 
plainly  as  long  years  of  acquaintance  could  have 
done. 

This  division  of  " effects"  is  all  that  need  be  given  in 

the  lower  grades.     In  fact,  the  important  thing  is  not 

the  classification  of  "  effects,"  but  the  interpretation  of 

them.     This  fact  the  teacher  should  keep  scrupulously 

•  in  mind  from  beginning  to  end.     But  in  order  to  do  the 


EFFECTS    OR   HINTS  5 

best  work,  the  teacher  should  know  something  more 
than  the  simple  divisions  set  forth  above.  Hence  we 
give  a  more  complete  outline. 

OUTLINE    OF    EFFECTS 

1.  Effects  of  Kind. 

Of  Incident.  Direct  Effects. 

Of  Mood.  Second-hand. 

Of  Character.  Negative. 

2.  Effects  of  Degree. 

(Subdivisions  the  same  as  under  Kind.) 

It  is  well  also  to  subdivide  incident  effects  into  the 
following  classes  :  — 

1.  Those  that  tell  time. 

2.  Those  that  tell  place. 

3.  Those  that  tell  what  happened. 

4.  Those  that  tell  some  state  or  condition  concerning 
a  person  or  a  thing. 

You  will  notice  that  sometimes  there  will  be  an  over- 
lapping of  effects.  Any  effect  is  to  a  certain  extent  an 
incident  effect.  In  cases  of  overlapping,  take  the  more 
important  characteristic  as  the  naming  characteristic. 
Remember  that  the  important  thing  is  the  interpretation 
of  the  effect  and  not  the  classification  of  it. 

In  the  lesson,  The  Lost  Pztrse,  p.  17  below,  we  have 
Effects  of  Kind  of  Incident,  of  Kind  of  Mood,  and  of 
Kind  of  Character;  also,  of  Degree  of  Mood,  and 
Degree  of  Character. 

Effects  of  kind  of  incident  reveal  to  us  nothing  more 


6  LESSONS   IN   ENGLISH 

than  some  particular  happening,  or  the  specific  state  or 
condition  of  •  some  object  of  interest  to  us.  In  the  first 
sentence  of  the  lesson  referred  to,  the  incident  effect  of 
kind  makes  us  know,  by  imaginative  inference,  that  the 
purse  has  slipped  from  the  hand  of  a  person  carrying 
it,  and  that  this  person  was  a  lady.  Were  the  writer  of 
the  lesson  intending  to  present  an  incident  of  impor- 
tance enough  to  rank  as  one  of  degree,  he  would  make 
the  thing  found  to  have  been  a  jewel  case,  or  some- 
thing that  no  one  could  have  dropped  inadvertently. 
We  should  understand  then,  that  there  had  been  an 
accident,  or  that  the  lady  had  swooned,  and  that  in  the 
excitement  of  carrying  her  home,  or  putting  her  in  a 
carriage,  the  object  that  had  fallen  from  her  hands  had 
not  been  noticed.  It  will  be  observed,  from  this,  that 
an  effect  of  degree  includes  the  kind  as  well. 

The  difference  between  kind  and  degree  of  mood  is 
well  illustrated,  in  one  instance,  by  the  children's 
answers.  The  child  who  gave,  "  He  wanted  it  pretty 
bad,"  interpreted  it  almost  as  an  effect  of  kind  of  mood. 
Those  who  gave  that  the  boy's  wanting  the  purse  so 
badly  made  his  eyes  grow  round  and  bright,  interpreted 
it  as  a  degree  effect  to  the  fullest  extent;  and  this  is 
the  better  interpretation. 

The  degree  of  character  is  well  exhibited  in  the  sec- 
ond-hand effect  found  in  the  words,  "  I  must  give  it 
back,  for  Nellie  will  say  it  is  the  lady's."  What 
strength  of  character  she  must  have  possessed  to  have 
influenced  him  in  this  way  ! 

In  A  Doctor  of  the  Old  School,  the  author  sets  forth 
the  degree  of  Doctor  MacLure's  unselfishness  by  means 
of  the  following :  — 


EFFECTS    OR   HINTS  7 

"  Weel,  doctor,  what  am  a1  awin'  ye  for  the  wife  and  bairn  ?  Ye1!! 
need  three  notes  [three  pounds]  for  that  nicht  ye  stayed  in  the  hoose 
an'  a1  the  veesits." 

"  Havers,"  MacLure  would  answer,  u  prices  are  low,  a'm  hearing ; 
gie's  thirty  shillings." 

"  No,  a'll  no ;  or  the  wife  'ill  tak  ma  ears  off,"  and  it  was  settled 
for  two  pounds. 

The  effects  we  obtain  of  a  person  who  is  talking 
or  acting  before  us,  or  is  so  represented,  are  direct  ef- 
fects ;  but  the  inferences  we  draw  from  him  concern- 
ing another,  or  third  person,  are  second-hand  effects. 

For  example,  all  the  effects  concerning  Joe  are  direct, 
because  we  read  them  from  him  himself.  Those  about 
Nellie  we  get  from  him  ;  hence  they  are  second-hand. 

We  find  an  excellent  illustration  of  these  in  Brown- 
ing's My  Last  Duchess.  The  duke  reveals  the  duchess 
by  second-hand  effects.  He  says  :  — 

"  She  liked  whate'er 

She  looked  on,  and  her  looks  went  everywhere. 
Sir,  'twas  all  one  !     My  favor  at  her  breast, 
The  dropping  of  the  daylight  in  the  West, 
The  bough  of  cherries  some  officious  fool 
Broke  in  the  orchard  for  her,  the  white  mule 
She  rode  with  round  the  terrace — all  and  each 
Would  draw  from  her  alike  the  approving  speech 
Or  blush,  at  least.     She  thanked  men,  —  good  !  but  thanked 
Somehow  —  I  know  not  how  —  as  if  she  ranked 
My  gift  of  a  nine-hundred-years'-old  name 
With  anybody's  gift." 

The  little  girl  who  said,  at  the  end  of  the  lesson  on 
The  Lost  Pzirse,  "  I  think  more  of  him  now  than  when 
he  picked  up  the  purse,"  does  think  more  of  him  now, 
and  not  only  because  he  has  given  the  purse  back,  but 
because  she  thought  so  ill  of  him  at  first. 


8  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

Shakespeare,  in  the  first  scene  of  Othello,  makes  us 
think  only  of  the  "thick  lips,"  "the  extravagant  and 
wheeling  stranger  of  here  and  everywhere,"  and  the 
" charms"  that  he  may  have  used.  But  later  on,  when 
Othello  steps  forth  and  controls  a  crowd  of  excited  people 
by  the  lifting  of  a  hand,  and  we  hear  his  explanation, 
with  Desdemona's,  of  how  their  marriage  came  about,  we 
forget  the  black  Moor,  and  our  imagination  carries  us 
just  as  far  to  the  other  extreme.  That  is  just  what 
Shakespeare  meant  to  do,  and  what  he  was  compelled 
to  do,  in  order  to  keep  our  sympathies  with  Othello  in 
the  later  scenes  of  the  tragedy.  Those  of  us  who  have 
been  prejudiced  against  a  person  before  acquaintance 
with  him,  and  have  afterward  found  that  our  prejudices 
were  wrong,  have  experienced  this  swinging  of  our 
feelings  to  the  opposite  extreme  and  to  the  full  extent 
of  our  previous  prejudice.  It  is  human  nature,  and 
great  writers  know  how  to  play  upon  this  phase  of 
human  nature.  An  effect  employed  to  do  this  particu- 
lar service  is  called  a  negative  effect.  It  negatives  or 
contradicts  the  real  character  or  incident  or  mood. 

The  matter  and  the  method  of  the  work  in  effects  are 
sufficiently  set  forth  in  the  illustrative  lessons,  and  in 
the  studies  which  are  given  in  the  following  pages.  But 
it  will  be  well  to  speak  particularly  of  one  or  two  points 
which  need  to  be  emphasized  to  the  teacher. 

First,  require  the  pupils  to  be  logical,  or,  if  they  are 
illogical,  lead  them  to  see  that  they  are  so.  For  example, 
if  a  child  gives  only  a  part  of  an  effect  for  you  to  in- 
terpret, be  sure  that  you  interpret  it  just  so  far  as  he 
has  given  you  sufficient  data,  and  no  further.  See  p.  13, 
in  Part  II.  of  this  chapter. 


EFFECTS    OR   HINTS  9 

Again,  there  may  be  a  tendency  in  the  case  of  certain 
pupils  to  see  the  worst  side  of  human  life,  and  to  bring 
in  habitually  those  effects  that  declare  evil  character. 
By  cautious  suggestion  get  these  pupils  to  see  effects 
from  the  better  side  of  human  nature.  There  are  folk 
who  "  travel  all  the  way  from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  and  say 
it  is  all  barren."  These  same  people  are  apt  to  interpret 
given  effects  as  symptomatic  of  evil  if  they  can,  or,  at 
least,  if  there  is  any  doubt.  Teach  pupils,  in  case  of 
doubt,  to  give  the  more  charitable  interpretation.  Im- 
press the  common-law  principle  that  a  man  is  innocent 
until  he  is  proved  guilty.  In  this  work  will  be  found  a 
good  field  for  teaching  logic  and  charity,  as  well  as  the 
judicial  habit  of  mind. 

Finally,  why  do  writers  use  effects  ?  For  two  rea- 
sons. If  the  cause  is  obvious,  it  is  a  waste  of  time  and 
of  the  reader's  mental  energy  to  give  the  cause.  Again, 
effects  arouse  the  mind  of  the  reader  to  find  the  ade- 
quate cause  for  the  given  effect.  This  gives  pleasure 
to  the  imagination.  The  reader  thus  enters  into  a  sort 
of  partnership  with  the  author,  and  becomes,  as  a  con- 
sequence, more  deeply  interested. 

The  greatest  difficulty  is  to  find  material  to  work  with. 
Our  Readers,  as  a  rule,  have  been  made  for  word-learn- 
ing, and  contain  lessons  poorly  adapted  to  interpretation. 
But  from  Sunday-school  papers,  and  from  juvenile  litera- 
ture of  other  kinds,  a  sufficient  supply  can  be  obtained. 
It  is  true  that  many  of  these  must  be  worked  over ; 
statements  should  be  put  into  the  form  of  effects,  the 
"padding"  taken  out  where  too  much  is  told,  and  the 
sermonizing  cut  out.  The  lesson  will  be  found  without 
preaching.  In  this  working  over  of  material,  the  teacher 


io  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

will  obtain  not  only  good  material  for  pupils'  use,  but 
also  most  excellent  drill  in  composition  for  herself. 

Below  is  given  a  short  selection,  first,  as  it  was  found 
in  the  paper,  and  after  that,  in  the  form  in  which  it  might 
be  put  to  use  in  our  interpretative  work  in  reading  and 
language. 

A  HUNGRY  BOY 

A  ragged  boy  sat  on  a  doorstep,  and  began  work  on  a  slice  of 
bread.  If  you  had  seen  him  eat,  you  would  have  thought  him  a 
pretty  hungry  boy.  But  he  had  only  started  his  meal,  when  a  little 
dog  came  up,  wagged  his  tail,  and  crouched  beside  him.  "  Wot 
you  want  ?"  said  the  boy.  "This  ain't  no  bone  ;  git."  But  he  did 
not  speak  cross,  and  the  dog  stayed.  "  Say,  do  you  want  this  wuss 
nor  I  do  ?  "  The  dog  gave  a  quick  bark,  and  the  boy  threw  him  the 
rest  of  the  bread.  —  From  The  Olive  Leaf. 

Omitting  the  subject  because  it  tells  too  much,  and 
rearranging  the  manner  of  statement  and  of  presenta- 
tion, we  make  it  into  the  following  form :  — 

A  ragged  boy  sat  on  a  doorstep,  eating  a  slice  of  bread. 
He  took  great  bites,  and  kept  his  mouth  so  full  that  he 
only  half  chewed  the  bread.  He  had  only  started  his 
meal,  when  a  little  dog  came  up,  wagged  his  tail,  and 
crouched  beside  him. 

"  Wot  do  you  want?  "  said  the  boy. 

The  dog  looked  longingly  at  the  bread  and  then  at 
the  boy,  and  putting  his  head  on  the  boy's  knee,  whined 
softly. 

"  This  ain't  no  bone  ;  git." 

But  he  wasn't  cross,  and  the  dog  stayed. 

"  Say,  do  you  want  this  wuss  nor  I  do  ?  "  said  the  boy. 

The  dog  gave  a  quick  bark,  and  the  boy  threw  him 
the  remainder  of  the  bread. 


EFFECTS    OR    HINTS  n 

You  may  change  the  dialect,  but,  if  you  do,  you 
lose  the  effects  that  the  dialect  proclaims ;  and  they  are 
strong.  The  children  will  be  all  agog  to  descant  upon 
the  boy's  lack  of  opportunities  and  breeding,  and  they 
will  correct  his  grammar  without  being  asked  to  do  so. 
By  comparing  the  two  forms  of  the  lesson  as  given 
above,  you  can  see  just  why  certain  changes  have  been 
made,  and  also  get  some  idea  as  to  what  changes  to  make 
in  rewriting  lessons,  and  how  to  make  the  changes. 

II 

SOME   LESSONS   IN   THE   FIRST   GRADE 
The  first  step. 

Impress  upon  children  what  hints  are ;  not  by  defini- 
tions, but  by  numerous  examples.  The  following  les- 
sons were  taken  just  as  they  were  given  to  a  class.  It 
will  be  seen  that  the  teacher  selected  ordinary  things 
which  had  lately  been  seen.  They  were  real,  they  were 
fresh,  they  were  of  the  children's  environment,  and  the 
children  were  in  full  sympathy  with  them. 

Teacher.   "The  other  day  a  little   boy  came   to   me,  and   said, 

'  Will  you  please  cut  my  apple  in  two  ? '     What  did  that   tell  me 

about  the  boy  ?  " 

Pupils.   "  He  was  polite."    "  He  wanted  to  give  somebody  a  piece." 
Teacher.   "  When  I  cut  it,  one  piece  was  larger  than  the  other. 

I  watched  him  when  he  went  out.     He  gave  the  larger  piece  to  a 

little  boy  outside.     What  hint  did  that  give  me  ?  " 

Pupils.   "  He  was  good."     "  He  was  kind."     "  He  was  not  selfish." 
Teacher.   "  I  saw  some  girls  make  a  playhouse  of  leaves  out  on  the 

playground,  and  a  little  boy  came  along  and  tore  it  down.     What 

did  that  tell  me?" 

Pupils.  "  He  was  a  bad  boy."     "  He  was  not  kind."     "  He  was 

mean." 


iz  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Teacher.  "  This  morning  I  saw  one  girl  striking  another  on  the 
back.  She  struck  her  ten  times,  and  then  stopped.  She  counted 
every  stroke.  What  hint  in  that  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  It  was  the  other  girl's  birthday.1'  "  She  was  ten  years 
old." 

Teacher.  "  Yesterday  I  saw  a  little  boy  go  up  to  a  large  dog,  and 
put  his  arms  about  the  dog's  neck.  What  did  that  tell  me  ?  " 

Pttpils.  "The  boy  loved  the  dog."  "The  dog  loved  the  boy." 
"  The  boy  was  kind." 

Teacher.  "  When  the  bell  rang  at  noon,  a  little  boy,  instead  of 
falling  into  line  in  his  order  as  he  came,  crowded  in  ahead  of  a  little 
girl.  What  did  that  tell  me?" 

Piipils.  "  He  wanted  to  lead."  "  He  was  not  polite."  "  He  was 
selfish." 

The  second  step. 

In  such  manner  the  teacher  had  been  drilling  the 
pupils  for  several  weeks.  She  had  also  been  asking 
them  to  interpret  the  effects  in  the  stories  she  had 
read  to  them.  To-day  she  had  given  them  a  story,  but  had 
not  asked  them  to  interpret  the  effects.  But  when  she 
called  them  to  the  language  class,  she  said,  "  You  may 
tell  me  any  hints  that  you  saw  in  the  story  this  morn- 
ing, and  you  may  also  tell  what  the  hint  means."  The 
following  will  illustrate  what  was  wanted  and  obtained: — 

1 .  "  The  story  said  that  the  mother  made  the  youngest  daughter 
do  all  the  work.     She  was  selfish.     She  liked  the  other  daughter 
better." 

2.  "The  story  said  that  the  little  girl  went  to  the  fountain,  and  a 
poor  old  lady  came  along,  and  wanted  some  water  to  drink.     The 
girl  washed  out  the  pitcher,  and  gave  her  some.     She  was  neat,  for 
she  washed  out  the  pitcher.     She  was  kind,  and  polite,  too." 

The  third  step. 

The  teacher  said,  "  You  may  tell  me  a  hint,  and  let 
me  tell  you  what  it  means.  You  may  tell  me  one  which 
means  that  something  has  happened." 


EFFECTS    OR    HINTS  13 

Pupil.    "  It  is  muddy  all  over  the  street." 
Teacher.    "  It  has  rained.1' 

Pupil.    "  The  clouds  are  getting  thick  all  over  the  sky." 
Teacher.    "  A  rain  is  coming." 

Pupil.  "The  green  leaves  of  the  cottonwood  tree  are  turning 
yellow." 

Teacher.   "The  frost  has  come.     Winter  is  coming." 

Then  the  teacher  called  out  effects  of  mood  by  say- 
ing, "You  may  give  me  a  hint  that  tells  me  how  some- 
body felt." 

Pupil.  "  A  little  girl  asked  her  mother  to  give  her  something  to 
do." 

Teacher.  "  She  was  restless,  and  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 
herself." 

Pupil.  "  I  see  a  boy  leaning  over  the  table  with  his  elbows  on 
the  table,  and  his  head  on  his  hands." 

Teacher.  "  He  is  inattentive  in  class,  and  I  am  afraid  he  is  a  little 
lazy." 

The  teacher  next  called  for  hints  that  tell  the  kind 
of  person. 

Pupil.    "  I  heard  a  boy  calling  a  girl  naughty  names." 

Teacher.   "  He  is  not  kind,  not  polite,  not  a  gentleman." 

Pupil.   "I  saw  two  boys  striking  each  other." 

Teacher.   "  They  were  playing." 

Pupil.  "  Their  faces  were  red,  and  they  had  their  teeth  shut  tight 
together." 

Teacher.  "They  must  have  been  angry,  they  were  probably 
fighting.  I'm  afraid  they  are  quarrelsome  and  naughty  boys." 

Notice  that  the  teacher  purposely  interpreted  the 
effect  as  signifying  less  than  the  pupil  meant,  when 
she  said,  "They  were  playing."  The  child  had  not 
given  an  effect  that  was  sufficient  for  the  cause  he 
wanted  assigned ;  the  teacher  saw  the  faulty  statement, 
and  made  him  see  it  clearly,  too.  It  was  a  lesson  in 
precision. 


14  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

The  fourth  step. 

In  this,  the  teacher  requires  the  pupil  to  classify  the 
effect  before  explaining  it.  The  teacher  should  now 
keep  the  following  outline  in  mind :  — 

(a)    Hints  that  tell  the  kind  of  person. 
(£)    Hints  that  tell  the  feeling  of  a  person. 
(V)    Hints  that  tell  a  happening. 

What  happened. 

Where  it  happened. 

WThen  it  happened. 
(d)    Hints  that  tell  the  state  or  condition  of  a  person  or  a  thing. 

This  last  one  the  children  cannot  classify  except  in  a 
general  way.  Notice  in  the  following  lesson  how  they 
put  it. 

KIND  DEEDS 

One  morning  the  sun  found  a  little  boy  sleeping  in  a  pile  of  brown 
and  yellow  leaves  by  the  roadside. 

His  clothes  were  ragged  and  soiled,  his  little  face  looked  not  only 
dirty,  but  pale  and  thin. 

A  laboring  man,  carrying  a  lunch  pail,  passed  on  his  way  to  work. 
He  stopped  and  looked  at  him,  then  left  half  of  his  lunch  in  the  little 
ragged  cap. 

Another  man  watched  the  workman  until  he  had  passed  the  cor- 
ner, and  then  dropped  a  quarter  in  the  cap  with  the  lunch. 

After  a  while  a  little  boy  carrying  a  slate  came  running  along. 
He  stopped  a  moment,  and  then  ran  back  the  way  he  had  come. 
Soon  he  returned  and  laid  a  pair  of  shoes  beside  the  cap. 

Presently  the  boy  awoke.  When  he  saw  the  things  that  had  been 
given  him,  he  put  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  big  tears  trickled  through 
his  fingers.  — Adapted  from  Morning  Star. 

"  One  morning  the  sun  found  a  little  boy  sleeping  in 
a  pile  of  brown  and  yellow  leaves  by  the  roadside." 

Teacher.  "What  does  that  tell  you?  Does  it  tell  the  kind  of 
a  person,  or  how  some  one  feels,  or  that  something  has  happened,  or 
where  it  happened,  or  when  it  happened?" 


EFFECTS    OR   HINTS  15 

Pupils.  "It  tells  that  something  has  happened.1"  "It  tells  the 
time  of  day  and  the  time  of  year.1' 

Teacher.    "  What  does  it  tell  has  happened  ? " 

Piipils.  "  The  boy  stayed  there  all  night."  "  He  made  a  pile  of 
leaves  because  they  were  soft."  "  He  made  a  warm  bed  of  leaves." 

"  His  clothes  were  ragged  and  soiled,  his  little  face 
looked,  not  only  dirty,  but  pale  and  thin." 

Teacher.    "What  does  that  tell?" 

Pupil.   "  It  tells  something  about  some  one." 

Teacher.   "What  does  it  tell  about  some  one? " 

Pupils.  "He  is  poor,  and  is  so  hungry  that  his  face  is  pale." 
"  He  was  so  hungry  and  so  weak  that  he  got  thin."  "  He  is  a  little 
beggar  boy,  and  has  no  home." 

"  A  laboring  man,  carrying  a  lunch  pail,  passed  on 
his  way  to  work." 

Teacher.  "  Does  that  tell  the  kind  of  a  person,  how  some  one 
feels,  or  that  something  has  happened,  or  the  condition  that  some- 
body is  in  ?  " 

Pupil.   "  It  tells  the  last ;  something  about  somebody." 

Teacher.    "  What  does  it  tell  you  about  him  ?  " 

Pupils.   "The  man  is  poor;  he   has  to  work  to   earn  money." 

"He  isn't  lazy."  "He  doesn't  come  home  to  dinner;  it's  too  far 
to  walk.1' 

"  He  stopped  and  looked  at  him," 

Teacher.    "  What  does  that  tell  ? " 

Pupil.    "  That  tells  how  somebody  felt?  " 

Teacher.    "  How  did  he  feel? " 

Pupils.  "He  just  thought  that  he  would  like  to  know  what  he 
was  doing  there  so  early  in  the  morning."  "  The  man  wanted  to 
know  what  he  was  lying  down  there  for."  "  He  just  stopped  to  see 
what  was  the  matter." 

"then  left  half  his  lunch  in  the  ragged  little  cap." 

Teacher.   "  What  does  that  tell  ? " 

Pupil.   "  It  tells  what  kind  of  a  man  he  was." 

Teacher.    "  What  kind  of  a  man  was  he  ?  " 

Pupils.   "  He  was  a  good  man."    "  He  was  kind  to  the  little  boy." 


16  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

"  Another  man  watched  the  workman  until  he  had 
turned  the  corner,  then  he  dropped  a  quarter  in  the  cap 
with  the  lunch.'* 

Teacher.    "Tell  all  about  that.1' 

Pupils.  "That  tells  the  kind  of  man."  "He  was  good  and 
kind."  "He  didn't  want  everybody  to  know  what  he  did."  "He 
wasn't  as  poor  as  the  workman." 

"After  a  while  a  little  boy  carrying  a  slate  came 
running  along." 

Pupils.  "  It  tells  something  about  the  boy."  "  It  tells  the  time 
that  something  happened."  "  The  boy  was  going  to  school."  "  It's 
school  time."  "  He's  running  because  he  wants  to  be  there  on 
time."  "  Maybe  he  was  running  because  he  was  chilly." 

"  He  stopped  a  moment,  and  then  ran  back  the  way 
he  had  come." 

Teacher.    "  What  does  that  tell  ?" 

Pupils.  "That  tells  how  somebody  feels."  "He  wanted  to  see 
what  happened  to  the  boy."  "  He  felt  sorry  for  the  boy." 

Teacher.    "What  makes  you  think  he  felt  sorry?" 

Pupils.  "  Because  he  ran  back  home."  "  He  went  back  home 
to  get  something  or  to  get  his  mamma." 

"  Soon  he  returned  and  laid  a  pair  of  shoes  beside 
the  cap." 

Pupils.  "  That  tells  the  kind  of  a  boy."  "  He  is  a  good  boy." 
"  He  is  free-hearted."  "  He  saw  that  the  boy  was  poor,  so  he 
brought  him  the  shoes."  "  He  was  kind  and  wanted  to  make  the 
boy  happy." 

"  Presently  the  boy  awoke." 

Pupils.   "  He  is  rested  now."     "  He  isn't  sleepy  any  more." 

"When  he  saw  what  had  been  given  him,  he  put  his 
face  in  his  hands,  and  big  tears  trickled  through  his 
fingers." 


EFFECTS    OR   HINTS  17 

Pupils.    "How   he  felt."     "He   cried   because  he  was  happy.1' 

"  He  was  so  glad."     "  Because  he  was  thankful." 

Teacher.   "  What  lesson  can  we  learn  from  this  story? " 

Pupils.    "  If  we  see  anybody  that  needs  anything,  to  help  them 

all  we  can."     "  If  one  helps,  others  will." 

THE  PARTY 

May  Brown  had  a  party.  Eight  little  girls  were  there.  While 
they  were  playing  there  was  a  rap  at  the  door.  Two  of  the  girls 
went  to  see  who  was  there.  It  was  a  little  girl.  She  had  no  shoes 
on,  and  her  dress  was  torn.  But  her  face  was  pretty. 

<;  Have  you  come  to  the  party?  "  asked  Bessie. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  a  party  is,"  she  said.  "I  came  to  ask  for 
something  to  eat."  The  little  girl's  name  was  Mary. 

"  I'll  ask  mamma  to  let  her  come  to  my  party,"  said  May. 

When  May's  mamma  saw  the  little  girl,  she  said :  "  I  know  you 
are  a  sweet  little  girl !  I'll  give  you  some  shoes  and  a  nice  dress, 
and  you  may  play  with  the  children." 

After  a  little  while  they  had  supper. 

"Do  you  like  ice  cream?"  said  May  to  the  little  girl. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Mary.  When  May  gave  her  some,  Mary 
asked,  "  How  shall  I  eat  it?" 

May  showed  her  how.  They  had  cake  and  candy  and  apples. 
While  they  were  eating  Mary  said,  "  How  nice  a  party  is." 

When  supper  was  over  they  played  again.  When  the  girls  were 
leaving,  Bessie  said  to  Mary,  "  You  shall  come  to  my  party,  too." 
"And  to  mine,"  said  all  the  girls.  — Adapted  from  Stickney^s  First 

Reader.      [Published  by  Ginn  &  Company.] 

(Incident.) 

Teacher.  "  What  hint  in,  '  She  had  no  shoes  on,  and  her  dress 
was  torn '  ? " 

Pupils.  "She  was  poor  and  didn't  have  any  shoes  to  wear."  "She 
didn't  have  any  shoes  or  any  whole  dresses,  and  maybe  she  didn't 
have  anything  to  eat."  "She  is  very  poor." 

(Character.) 

Teacher.    "  What  hint  in,  '  But  her  face  was  pretty '  ?  " 
Pupils.   "  She  was  neat  and  kept  her  face  clean."     "  She  was  a 
good  girl.     If  she  wasn't,  she  wouldn't  look  pretty  in  her  face." 
c 


i8  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

(Incident.) 

Teacher.  "-'I  do  not  know  what  a  party  is.'  What  does  that  tell 
you?" 

Pupils.  "  She  had  never  seen  one  before."  "  She  had  never  had 
enough  good  clothes  to  go  to  a  party."  "Very  poor  people  don't 
go  to  parties." 

(Mood.) 

Teacher.    "  What  hint  in,  *  I  came  to  ask  for  something  to  eat '  ?  " 
Pupils.    "  She  is  hungry."     "  She  has  no  one  to  give  her  some- 
thing to  eat."     "  She  must  have  been  awful  hungry  to  go  to  a  party 
and  ask  for  something  to  eat  when  she  was  so  torn." 

(Character.) 

Teacher.  "What  does  this  hint  to  you  ?  <  I'll  ask  mamma  to  let 
her  come  to  my  party.' " 

Pupils.  "May  was  a  good  girl."  "May  Brown  was  such  a  nice 
little  girl  that  she  didn't  care  if  she  was  poor,  she'd  ask  her  to  her 
party."  "  She  thought  the  little  girl  had  no  father  or  mother  and  she 
wanted  to  be  kind  to  her." 

(Character.) 

Teacher.  "  What  hint  in,  <  I  know  you  are  a  sweet  little  girl!  I'll 
give  you  some  shoes  and  a  nice  dress,  and  you  may  play  with  the 
children'?" 

Pupils.  "  The  mother  was  kind."  "  The  mother  was  as  good  as 
the  little  girl."  "  Because  she  was  pretty  in  the  face  she  saw  she 
was  good."  "  She  was  kind,  and  wanted  the  little  girl  to  have  a  good 
time." 

(Degree  of  Incident.) 

Teacher.   "What  hint  in,  <I  don't  know'?" 

Pupils.  "She  had  never  tasted  any  ice  cream."  "She  was  so 
poor  that  they  had  no  money  to  buy  ice  cream  or  make  it." 

(Degree  of  Incident.) 

Teacher.    "  What  does  <  How  shall  I  eat  it.'  hint  to  you?  " 
Pupils.    "  She  was  never  taught  how  to  eat  ice  cream."     "  She 

never  went  to  parties,  and  never  saw  any  ice  cream  and  didn't  know 

how  to  eat  it." 

(Mood.) 

Teacher.    "  What  hint  in,  <  How  nice  a  party  is  '?  " 

Pupils,   "  She  likes  the  candy."   "  She  meant  the  cake,  ice  cream, 


EFFECTS    OR   HINTS  19 

and  everything  was  good."  "  She  never  had  any  good  things  like 
that  before."  "  She'd  like  to  have  a  party."  "  She  is  having  a  good 
time." 

(Character.) 

Teacher.  "  What  hint  in  <  You  shall  come  to  my  party,  too,' 
6  and  to  mine,'  said  all  the  girls  '  ?  " 

Pupils.  "Bessie  is  a  kind  little  girl."  "All  the  girls  liked  little 
Mary."  "  They  are  all  good  girls."  "  Mary  was  so  good  everybody 
liked  her  even  if  she  was  poor."  "  She  acted  so  nice  at  May's  party 
that  all  the  little  girls  liked  her  so  well  they  wanted  her  to  come  to 
their  party." 

THE   LOST  PURSE 

A  pretty,  brown  purse  was  lying  upon  the  sidewalk. 

A  little  hand  was  ready  to  reach  for  it. 

A  pair  of  bright  eyes  were  watching  it. 

They  belonged  to  Joe,  the  newsboy. 

"  That  is  a  fine  purse,"  he  said.  "  I'll  get  it  when  she's  out  of 
sight." 

Just  then  the  store  door  closed  behind  the  lady. 

"Now's  my  chance,"  said  Joe,  and  he  hurriedly  picked  up  the 
purse. 

"  My  !  but  you're  a  daisy,  and  you're  heavy,  too,"  he  said.  "  I'll 
take  you  home  to  Nellie.  Now  she  can  have  her  crutch. 

"  Her  eyes  will  shine  and  she  will  clap  her  hands  when  she  sees 
you.  , 

"  She  will  say,  <  O  Joe,  you  are  so  good  !     Where  did  you  get  it  ? ' 

"And  then  what  shall  I  tell  her  ? 

"  She  will  be  sorry  if  I  tell  her  where  I  got  it.  I  must  give  it 
back,  for  Nellie  will  say  it  is  the  lady's." 

Joe  pushed  open  the  heavy  door  and  walked  slowly  down  in  front 
of  the  first  long  counter.  He  stood  close  to  the  lady  in  brown  and 
said  in  a  low,  trembling  voice,  "  This  is  your  purse.  I  picked  it  up 
from  the  sidewalk." 

Teacher.  "  What  hint  in,  <  A  pretty,  brown  purse  was  lying  upon 
the  sidewalk'?" 

Pupils.  "  Somebody  lost  it."  "A  lady  had  dropped  it,  because  a 
purse  is  a  lady's  pocket-book."  "  It  must  have  been  down  town." 

Teacher.  "  What  hint  in,  <  A  little  hand  was  ready  to  reach  for 
it'?" 


20  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Pupils.   "  The  little  hand  wanted  to  pick  it  up."     "It  was  a  child 

that  wanted  it." 

Teacher.   "  What  does  '  A  pair  of  bright  eyes  were  watching  it,1 

tell  you  ? " 

Pupils.   "  The  child  wanted  it."     "  The  purse  was  pretty,  and  the 

child  wanted  it."     "  If  they  were  bright  eyes  they  were  blue."    "  He 

wants  the  pocket-book  awful  bad." 

Teacher.   "  What  hint  in, * They  belonged  to  Joe,  the  newsboy '  ? " 
Pupils.    "  He's  poor."     "  He  carries  papers  to  get  money." 
Teacher.    "  What  hint  in,  '  That  is  a  fine  purse  '  ?  " 
Pupils.   "  He  is  glad  that  he  has  found  it."     "  He  wants  it  awful 

bad." 

Teacher.   "  <  I'll  get  it  when  she's  out  of  sight.'  What  hint  ?  " 
Pupils.   "He  wasn't  a  good  boy."     "  He's  going  to  wait  till  the 

lady  won't  see  him."     "  He's  not  honest."     "  He's  a  coward,  or  he 

would  give  it  to  the  lady."     "  He's  a  bad  boy,  I  think." 

Teacher.    "Just  then  the  store  door  closed  behind  the  lady." 
Pupils.  "  She's  just  gone  into  the  store."     "  She's  going  to  buy 

something.     Then  she  will  miss  her  purse." 

Teacher.    "  t  Now's  my  chance,'  said  Joe,  and  he  hurriedly  picked 

up  the  purse.     What  hints  ?  " 

Pupils.    "  He  took  the  pocket-book."     a  He's  bad,  'cause  he  stole 

the  purse."     "He's  sneaking,  because  he  waited  until  no  one  saw 

him."      "  He's  wicked."      "  He  hurried  because  he  thought  some 

one   else   might  get   it."     "  He   was   afraid   some   one   might  see 

him." 
*  Teacher.   "  What  hints  in,  '  My  !  but  you're  a  daisy,  and  you're 

heavy,  too ' ? " 

Pupils.   "  It  must  have   had  money   in  it,  or  something  else." 

"  He  was  glad  to  get  it."     "  It  had  money  in  it  or  it  wouldn't  have 

been  so  heavy."     "He  thought  lots  of  the  pocket-book,  and  thought 

it  was  nice,  but  he  uses  slang." 

Teacher.    "  What  hint  in,  '  I'll  take  you  home  to  Nellie '?  " 
Ptipils.   "  He's  kind  to  Nellie."     "  He  was  generous."    "  He  was 

thoughtful  of  Nellie."     "  He  likes  his  sister." 

Teacher.    "What   does  this  tell  you,  'Now   she   can   have   her 

crutch'?" 

Pupils.   "  Nellie  was  a  cripple."    "  Nellie  is  lame,  and  they  are  too 

poor  to  buy  a  crutch  for  her."     "  He's  not  selfish."     "He's  thought- 
ful of  his  sister  and  didn't  think  about  spending  the   money  for 

himself." 


EFFECTS    OR    HINTS  21 

Teacher.  "What  hint  in,  i Her  eyes  will  shine,  and  she  will  clap 
her  hands  when  she  sees  you '?  " 

Pupils.  "  She'll  be  glad."  "She's  happy."  "Maybe  if  he  had 
no  sister  he  wouldn't  have  taken  it.  He  wanted  to  help  her." 

Teacher.  "  What  hint  in,  «  O  Joe,  you  are  so  good  !  Where  did 
you  get  it '  ?  " 

Pupils.  « She'll  be  so  glad."  "She  liked  Joe."  "  She  wants  to 
know  all  about  it." 

Teacher.  "  What  does  this  tell  you,  '  She  will  be  sorry  if  I  tell  her 
where  I  got  it'?" 

Pupils.  "  He  begins  to  feel  sorry  about  himself."  "  He'll  be 
afraid  to  tell  her  he  stole  it."  "  He  has  done  wrong,  and  he  just 
thinks  about  it."  "  He  doesn't  want  to  tell  her  he  stole  it,  because 
he  thinks  it  will  make  her  feel  bad." 

Teacher.  "  What  hints  in,  *  I  must  give  it  back,  for  Nellie  will  say 
it  is  the  lady's'?" 

Pupils.  "  She  is  a  true  girl."  "  She  is  honest."  "  She'll  be  sorry, 
because  she  is  an  honest  girl,  and  she  doesn't  want  him  to  steal." 
"  He's  going  to  be  good."  "  He's  going  to  be  honest  because  his 
sister  would  want  him  to  be."  "  Nellie  is  going  to  make  him  honest." 

Teacher.   "What  hint  in,  i Joe  pushed  open  the  heavy  door'?  " 

Pupil.   "  It's  a  big  store." 

Teacher.   "  What  does  his  walking  slowly  tell  you  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  He's  afraid."  "  He's  sad  because  he  has  stolen." 
"  He's  sorry  to  give  it  back  after  he  has  taken  it.  He's  ashamed  of 
himself."  "He  went  slowly  so  he  could  find  her."  "He  doesn't 
want  to  give  the  purse  up."  "  He  didn't  know  what  to  say  when  he 
got  there,  and  he's  walking  slow  to  try  to  think." 

Teacher.  "  What  hint  in  his  standing  close  to  the  lady  and  speak- 
ing in  a  low,  trembling  voice  ? " 

Pupils.  "He's  afraid."  "He  feels  cowardish."  "He  doesn't 
want  other  people  to  hear  him."  "  He's  sad."  "  He  was  sorry  he 
picked  it  up."  "He's  good  now."  "His  sister  made  him  good 
because  she  was  so  good." 


CHAPTER   II 

EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 
I 

HAVE  you  never  caught  the  odor  of  wild-grape  bloom 
in  spring,  and  experienced  a  flash  of  memory  that 
brought  back  another  time  and  place,  far  away,  it  may 
be,  but  full  of  tender  associations  ?  Have  you  never 
seen  a  landscape  that  recalled  another,  similar  but 
dearer?  And  have  you  not  noticed  that  pictures  of 
landscapes  have  the  same  power  to  reproduce  the  past, 
though  more  faintly  ?  And  sometimes  you  can  close 
your  eyes  before  the  picture,  and  go  over  those  scenes 
again  as  you  did  when  a  child.  There  is  the  path  lead- 
ing from  the  home  across  the  blue-grass  field,  where  the 
cattle  grazed  lazily  in  the  June-time.  There  are  the 
woods  which  it  skirted,  and  there  the  old  mountain  field 
through  which  it  ran,  and  beyond  are  the  deeper  woods 
that  covered  the  mountain  nearly  to  the  top.  And  here, 
where  the  path  ran  up  the  hill  from  the  little  ravine,  is 
the  large  rock  standing  close  beside  it,  moss-covered 
and  reft.  Here  you  used  to  stop  and  sit,  not  so  much 
to  rest  as  to  see  and  to  feel  the  landscape  which  ex- 
panded below  you.  At  that  slight  suggestion  the  mind 
has  made  a  great  leap  through  time  and  space. 


EMOTIONAL   WORDS    AND    PHRASES      23 

"  Yon  cloud  with  that  long  purple  clelt 

Brings  fresh  into  my  mind 
A  day  like  this,  which  I  have  left 
Full  thirty  years  behind." 

—  WORDSWORTH. 

And  along  with  these  scenes  come  the  experiences 
that  are  associated  with  them.  You  feel  again  the 
joy  of  life  somewhat  as  you  felt  it  on  that  summer 
day  when  you  fished  or  strolled  along,  the  lazy  stream, 
while  the  bobolink  sang  in  the  tree  overhead.  Such 
memories  are  to  the  soul  what  the  Indian  summer  is  to 
the  fall. 

Words  also  have  the  power  of  recalling  experiences, 
—  not  so  much  power  as  they  ought  to  have,  but  that  is 
our  own  fault.  Very  few  people  are  quite  sensitive  to 
the  full  content  of  words.  Ruskin  was.  Read  his  analy- 
sis of  a  selection  from  Lycidas  in  his  Sesame  and  Lilies. 
We  have  been  taught  and  are  teaching  that  the  mean- 
ing of  words  is  to  be  found  in  the  dictionary.  Only  a 
part  of  the  meaning  is  to  be  found  there,  and  not  always 
the  most  important  part.  The  dictionary  gives  the  idea- 
content.  But  there  is  an  emotion-content  as  well,  and 
this  last  the  dictionary  cannot  give.  The  emotion-con- 
tent is  to  be  found  in  yourself,  and  is  dependent  upon 
your  experiences.  Take  each  of  the  following  words 
or  phrases,  and  recall  some  particular  experience  sug- 
gested by  each.  You  may  have  to  think  several  min- 
utes before  you  settle  upon  some  definite  experience. 
Sometimes  a  word  or  phrase  will  suggest  no  experience 
whatever. 

silent  night         solemn  stillness         dewy  dawn 
lonely  prayer  roar 


24  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Now  turn  to  the  dictionary,  and  compare  the  meanings 
there  given  with  the  meanings  these  words  have  for 
you.  In  the  following  extract  from  Goldsmith's  The 
Deserted  Village  select  the  words  and  phrases  that  have 
large  emotion-content  for  you :  — 

"  Sweet  was  the  sound,  when  oft  at  evening's  close, 
Up  yonder  hill  the  village  murmur  rose ; 
There  as  I  passed,  with  careless  steps  and  slow, 
The  mingling  notes  came  softened  from  below ; 
The  swain  responsive  as  the  milkmaid  sung ; 
The  sober  herd  that  lowed  to  meet  their  young ; 
The  noisy  geese  that  gabbled  o'er  the  pool ; 
The  playful  children  just  let  loose  from  school ; 
The  watch-dog's  voice  that  bayed  the  whispering  wind ; 
And  the  loud  laugh  that  spoke  the  vacant  mind ;  — 
These  all  in  sweet  confusion  sought  the  shade, 
And  filled  each  pause  the  nightingale  had  made." 

Or  take  these  lines  from  Gray's  Elegy :  — 

"  The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day ; 

The  lowing  herd  winds  slowly  o'er  the  lea ; 
The  plowman  homeward  plods  his  weary  way, 
And  leaves  the  world  to  darkness  and  to  me. 

"  Now  fades  the  glimmering  landscape  on  the  sight, 

And  all  the  air  a  solemn  stillness  holds, 
Save  where  the  beetle  wheels  his  droning  flight, 
And  drowsy  tinklings  lull  the  distant  folds." 

Perhaps  no  simple  lines  are  richer  in  emotional  words 
and  phrases  than  Philip  Bourke  Marston's  Thy  Garden, 
a  few  stanzas  of  which  run  as  follows :  — 

"  Pure  moonlight  in  thy  garden,  sweet,  to-night, 

Pure  moonlight  in  thy  garden,  and  the  breath 
Of  fragrant  roses.     O  my  heart's  delight! 
Wed  thou  with  Love,  but  I  will  wed  with  Death ! 


EMOTIONAL    WORDS    AND    PHRASES      25 

"  Dawn  in  thy  garden,  and  the  faintest  sound, — 

Uncertain,  tremulous,  awaking  birds,  — 
Dawn  in  thy  garden,  and  from  meadows  round, 
The  sudden  lowing  of  expectant  herds. 

"  Light  in  thy  garden,  faint  and  sweet  and  pure ; 
Dim  noise  of  birds  from  every  bush  and  tree ; 
Rumors  of  song  the  stars  may  not  endure ; 
A  rain  that  falls  and  ceases  suddenly." 

Note  these  especially  :  Pure  moonlight,  garden,  breath 
of  fragrant  roses,  dazvn,  faintest  sound,  uncertain^  tremu- 
lous, awaking  birds,  meadows,  sudden  lowing,  expectant 
herds,  light,  faint,  pure,  dim  noise,  dim  noise  of  birds, 
bush  and  tree,  song,  stars,  ram,  ceases  suddenly. 

Keats,  Shelley,  and  Tennyson  are  notable  for  their 
emotional  phrases.  Select  the  words  and  phrases  that 
are  full  of  emotion-content  in  the  following  lines  from 
Tennyson's  Enoch  Arden:  — 

"  The  mountain  wooded  to  the  peak,  the  lawns 
And  winding  glades  high  up  like  ways  to  Heaven, 
The  slender  coco's  drooping  crown  of  plumes, 
The  lightning  flash  of  insect  and  of  bird. 
The  luster  of  the  long  convolvuluses 
That  coiled  around  the  stately  stems,  and  ran 
Ev'n  to  the  limit  of  the  land,  the  glows 
And  glories  of  the  broad  belt  of  the  world, 
All  these  he  saw." 

Observe  how  he  piles  phrase  on  phrase,  and  produces 
an  ever-increasing  picture  of  beauty,  such  as :  crown  of 
plumes,  drooping  crown  of  plumes  ;  lightning  flash,  light- 
ning flash  of  insect ;  coiled,  stately  stems,  coiled  around 
the  stately  stems. 

It  is  self-evident  that  the  person  who  is  most  sensitive 
to  the  emotion-content  of  words  will  obtain  the  most 


26  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

pleasure  from  his  reading,  and,  as  a  rule,  the  most  profit, 
other  things  being  equal.  It  is  then  an  obligation  that 
we  train  the  child  to  think  in  the  images  for  which 
words  stand,  that  he  may  have  this  sensitiveness  for  the 
emotion-content  of  words.  Of  course,  we  do  not  recall 
these  experiences  completely  when  we  are  reading.  But 
we  do  experience  a  certain  vanishing  pleasure  from  the 
subconscious  recalling  of  these  images.  For  that  reason 
we  experience  pleasure  in  the  reading  of  such  selections 
as  the  preceding.  Some  one,  for  the  sake  of  burlesque, 
and  conscious  of  the  pleasure  produced  by  words  taken 
singly,  or  in  even  illogical  phrases,  has  written  the  fol- 
lowing amusing  lines  :  — 

"The  light  resounds  across  the  hills, 

The  crumbling  dewdrops  fall, 
The  rippling  rock  the  moonbeam  fills, 
The  starlight  spreads  its  pall." 

A  person  in  hasty  reading  is  conscious  here  of  a  cer- 
tain pleasure  of  imagination,  but  may  be  unconscious  at 
first  of  the  incongruity  of  the  phrasings  and  the  predi- 
cations. 

Besides  increasing  the  child's  power  in  reading,  train- 
ing of  this  sort  will  greatly  aid  him  in  his  language. 
In  the  first  place,  the  subject  will  interest  him;  and 
hence  his  diction  will  have  the  quality  of  individuality 
that  is  usually  lacking  in  children's  compositions.  He 
has  seen  and  felt  this  thing  that  he  is  telling.  He  is 
thoroughly  interested,  and  he  is  refreshingly  natural. 
In  the  second  place,  he  learns  the  power  of  words  and 
the  force  of  phrasing.  Even  with  small  children  the  use 
of  expressions  of  emotional  value  becomes  apparent  in 


EMOTIONAL   WORDS    AND    PHRASES      27 

a  short  time.  In  fact  they  even  go  to  the  extent  of  over- 
doing a  good  thing.  Their  compositions  are  likely  to 
become,  for  a  time,  somewhat  turgid.  Here  is  one  from 
a  girl  of  the  fifth  grade  which  exhibits  something  of  that 
tendency. 

WAVE-WASHED  SHORE 

These  words  remind  me  of  one  day  I  went  to  the  country.  I 
strayed  to  a  wood  by  the  house ;  the  birds  sang  sweet  melodies  in 
the  green  canopy  overhead,  and  the  sun  shone  brightly. 

On  I  went  till  I  came  to  a  silvery  pool  with  pearly  waves  rushing 
up  to  kiss  its  mossy  shore. 

Here  is  another,  from  a  boy  of  the  same  grade,  which 
shows  to  better  advantage  the  results  of  the  work  upon 
composition. 

WOODLANDS  GAY 

These  words  remind  me  of  one  pleasant  autumn  day.  I  came  to 
a  gentle  stream  and  on  its  banks  were  some  trees.  When  I  got  to 
the  trees,  they  were  murmuring  softly  and  the  gentle  breeze  made 
the  bright  yellow  leaves  come  dancing  and  playing  on  the  ground  as 
though  they  were  chasing  each  other  down  the  pathway.  The  sun 
was  shining  brightly,  and  the  birds  were  singing  sweet  songs,  and  it 
made  the  woods  seem  so  happy  that  day. 

In  this  work  the  child  should  be  held  to  tell  some 
particular  experience.  He  will  in  that  case  image  more 
perfectly,  and  as  a  result  will  speak  with  greater  force 
and  clearness.  Sometimes  a  word  or  phrase  will  not  be 
suggestive  to  the  pupil.  It  will  depend  upon  his  ex 
perience.  But,  in  this  last  case,  he  may  recall  some- 
thing he  has  heard  or  read,  or  some  picture  he  has  seen. 
If  so,  let  him  tell  about  it.  The  word  is  emotional  in 
that  case,  not  from  experience,  but  from  association  with 
other  people  or  other  things.  Perhaps  the  only  value 
of  note  in  such  words  as,  hath,  erst,  e'er,  steed,  thy,  etc., 


28  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

over  the  words  we  generally  use  in  their  stead,  arises 
from  our  associating  them  with  the  Bible  or  with  poetry. 
Sometimes  a  word  or  phrase  may  be  too  common  to  be 
suggestive.  By  constant  use  it  has  become  prosaic. 

In  the  early  work  it  is  better  to  give  the  study  of  the 
words  and  phrases  of  the  lines,  before  giving  the  lines. 
You  will  then  get  the  child's  experience  without  any 
influence  of  the  author,  and  will  in  this  way  give  the 
child  a  training  that  will  make  him  more  sensitive  to 
emotional  words  and  phrases.  Of  course  this  previous 
study  of  words  and  phrases,  apart  from  the  context,  is 
not  interpretation  of  the  context,  but  will  prepare  the 
child  to  make  a  more  vivid  interpretation  of  the  words 
when  found  in  the  context.  It  is  a  special  training  for 
the  purpose  of  arousing  the  power  of  interpretation. 

Other  suggestions,  both  as  to  matter  and  method, 
will  be  made  in  the  illustrative  lessons,  and  in  studies 
along  with  the  selections  given  in  the  pages  following. 

II 

After  much  and  careful  work  on  effects,  take  up  the 
study  of  emotional  words  and  phrases.  This  gives  excel- 
lent drill  in  composition,  and  also  increases  the  power 
of  visualizing  or  imaging.  It  is  of  great  importance  in 
reading  because  it  leads  the  child  to  see  the  inner  mean- 
ing of  words,  and  from  such  increase  of  the  understand- 
ing comes  better  oral  expression. 

Such  phrases  as  "softest  light,"  "  rippling  water," 
"dusky  shadows,"  and  "dancing  firelight"  appeal  to 
the  child's  mind,  not  alone  from  harmony  of  sound,  but 
more  especially  because  they  recall  experiences.  Now, 


EMOTIONAL   WORDS    AND    PHRASES      29 

what  we  aim  to  do  is  to  train  him  to  recognize  and  to 
recall  those  experiences,  and  to  express  them  in  such  a 
way  that  we  may  know  the  effect  of  those  experiences 
upon  him.  To  do  this  he  must  tell :  — 

When  it  happened,  as  nearly  as  may  be. 
Where  it  happened,  as  nearly  as  may  be. 
What  he  was  doing. 
What  things  made  him  remember  the  experience. 

The  emotional  words  and  phrases  of  the  poem  are  to 
be  studied  before  the  poem  is  read  to  the  pupil.  There 
is  a  decided  advantage  in  so  doing.  We  get  his  own 
unmixed  experience,  and  that  is  what  we  want. 

The  lesson  given  below  is  the  first  work  of  the  kind 
given  to  the  lowest  class  in  the  First  Primary.  The 
stanza  contains  good  material  for  work  in  Types  and 
The  Theme. 

THE  SUNBEAM 

If  I  were  a  sunbeam. 

I  know  what  Pd  do  ; 
I  would  seek  white  lilies 

Rainy  woodlands  through ; 
I  would  steal  among  them, 

Softest  light  Pd  shed, 
Until  every  lily 

Raised  its  drooping  head. 

The  emotional  words  and  phrases :  sunbeam,  white 
lilies,  rainy  ivoodlands,  softest  light,  drooping  head. 

SOME   LESSONS   IN   THE    LOWEST   CLASS   OF    THE 
FIRST   GRADE. 

Teacher.    "  What  does  '  sunbeam '  make  you  think  of  ? " 
Pupil.   "Sunbeam  makes  me  think  of  sunlight." 
Teacher.    "Do  you  think  of  any  one  time  when  you  saw  the  sun- 
light ?  " 


30  LESSONS   IN   ENGLISH 

Pupil.    "  In  the  summer." 

Teacher.    "  What  time  in  the  summer  ? " 

Pupil.    "  One  afternoon  in  the  summer.1' 

Teacher.   "  Where  were  you  ?  " 

Pupil.    "  I  was  outdoors  playing  in  my  little  playhouse." 

Teacher.    "  What  makes  you  think  of  that  afternoon  ?  " 

Pupil.   "  Because  I  saw  everything  all  shiny." 

Teacher.    "  What  else  do  you  remember  ?  " 

Pupil.  "  The  sky  was  all  blue  and  white,  and  the  trees  had  leaves 
on,  and  Mabel  and  me  climbed  up  in  the  trees." 

Teacher.   "  Now  tell  me  all  of  it." 

Pupil.  "  One  afternoon  in  the  summer  I  was  outdoors  playing  in 
my  little  playhouse,  and  I  saw  everything  all  shiny.  The  sky  was 
blue  and  white,  and  the  trees  had  leaves  on,  and  Mabel  and  me 
climbed  in  the  trees." 

Note  was  made  of  the  mistake  in  "  Mabel  and  me." 
It  was  not  corrected  at  that  time,  for  it  would  have  been 
unwise  to  run  the  risk  of  embarrassing  the  pupil  at  a 
time  when  the  prime  object  was  thought  and  not  form. 
This  girl  showed  too  much  self-consciousness  at  the  best. 

Teacher.    "  What  do  you  think  of  when  I  say  *  white  lilies 1  ? " 

Pupil.  "  It  makes  me  think  of  white  lilies  I  saw  over  to  Mr. 
Hellier's  house." 

Teacher.   "  When  did  you  see  them,  Stella  ?  " 

Pupil.    "  One  day  last  summer." 

Teacher.   "  Where  were  you  when  you  saw  them  ? " 

Pupil.  "I  was  walking  up  and  down  on  the  sidewalk  by  Mr. 
Hellier^s  house,  and  I  saw  them  growing  in  the  yard." 

Teacher.    u  What  makes  you  remember  them  ?  " 

Pupil.    "  They  looked  so  white  and  pretty." 

Teacher.    "  Now  tell  me  all  about  it." 

Pupil.  "  <  White  lilies '  makes  me  think  of  white  lilies  I  saw  one 
day  in  the  summer  time  when  I  was  walking  up  and  down  on  the 
sidewalk  by  Mr.  Hellier's  house,  and  I  saw  them  growing  in  the 
yard.  They  looked  so  white  and  pretty." 

A  drill  lesson  is  suggested  by  the  pupil's  mistake  in 
"over  to  Mr.  Hellier's  house."  The  faulty  sentence 
structure  will  be  corrected  incidentally. 


EMOTIONAL   WORDS    AND    PHRASES      31 

Teacher.    "  What  does  '  rainy  woodlands '  make  you  think  of  ? " 

Pupil.  "  It  makes  me  think  of  being  out  in  the  woods  when  it  is 
rainy." 

Teacher.    "  When  was  it  ?  " 

Pupil.   "  One  rainy  Saturday  afternoon  in  the  summer." 

Teacher.    u  Where  were  you  ?  " 

Pupil.    "  I  was  out  in  the  woods  with  Spencer  and  Harry." 

Teacher.    "What  were  you  doing  ?  " 

Pupil.    "  We  were  picking  violets." 

Teacher.    "  What  makes  you  remember  it  ?  " 

Pupil.  "  We  had  more  fun  than  if  it  was  dry.  The  trees  were 
walnut  trees,  and  so  big  that  we  couldn't  shake  them  so  we  could 
get  all  sprinkled  with  water.  We  got  lots  of  violets.  We  were 
barefooted,  and  ran  up  and  down  the  hills  and  got  all  wet." 

Teacher.   "  Now  tell  me  all  the  story." 

Pupil.  "  i  Rainy  woodlands'  makes  me  think  of  one  rainy  Saturday 
afternoon  in  summer  when  I  was  out  in  the  woods  with  Harry  and 
Spencer  picking  violets.  We  were  barefooted,  and  ran  up  and  down 
the  hills  and  got  all  wet.  We  had  more  fun  than  if  it  was  dry.  The 
trees  were  walnut  trees,  and  so  big  we  couldn't  shake  them  and  get 
all  sprinkled." 

(On  the  morning  before  Christmas  the  children  were 
not  allowed  to  go  into  the  first  grade  room  when  they 
came  in,  but  were  made  to  assemble  in  one  of  the  other 
rooms.  In  the  first  room  the  blinds  had  been  closed, 
and  a  Christmas  tree  had  been  decorated  and  lighted. 
The  children  then  marched  into  the  room,  and  were 
greatly  surprised.  The  little  boy  who  gives  the  next 
composition  was  on  the  programme  which  was  given  dur- 
ing the  burning  of  the  candles.  In  his  dialogue  he  had 
a  Christmas  pie.  This  explanation  will  help  to  make 
the  composition  appreciated.  Perry  is  five  years  old.) 

Teacher.  "  What  do  you.  think  of  when  you  hear  the  words 
4  softest  light '  ? " 

Perry.  "  It  makes  me  think  of  the  little  lights  we  had  here  on 
the  Christmas  tree." 


32  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Teacher.    "  When  was  it  ?  " 

Perry.  "  It  was  early  in  the  morning  on  Christmas  Eve,  when 
we  come  to  school." 

Teacher.   "  Tell  me  all  about  it." 

Perry.  "  I  was  sitting  on  a  stool  eating  my  pie.  It  was  dark  in 
the  room  all  but  in  front  where  the  little  soft  lights  were  on  the 
Christmas  tree.1' 

Teacher.    "  What  makes  you  remember  it  ? " 

Perry.   "  'Cause  it  wasn't  very  long  to  'member." 

Teacher.    "  What  else  ? " 

Perry.  "  It  was  pretty."  (Then,  noticing  that  I  was  writing  down 
what  he  was  saying),  "  That  paper  will  be  all  covered  with  writing 
when  I  get  done,  won't  it  ?  " 

Teacher.   "  See  if  you  can  tell  me  all  of  it." 

Perry.  "  i  Softest  light '  makes  me  think  of  early  in  the  morning 
on  Christinas  Eve  when  we  come  into  school.  I  was  sitting  on  a 
stool  eating  my  Christmas  pie.  It  was  dark  in  the  room  all  but  in 
front  where  the  soft  little  lights  were  burning  on  the  Christmas  tree. 
(Now  Fll  have  to  stop  'cause  the  paper  is  full,  won't  I  ? )" 

Teacher.    "  *  Drooping  head '  ?  " 

Pupil.  "  It  makes  me  think  of  a  flower  out  in  the  yard  with  its 
head  bending  way  over." 

Teacher.   "  When  was  it  ?  " 

Pupil.   "  One  hot  afternoon  in  the  summer." 

Teacher.   "  Where  were  you  ? " 

Pupil.  "I  was  out  in  the  yard  walking  around,  and  I  saw  the 
flower  wilting  and  bending  way  over.  It  was  nearly  dying." 

Teacher.   "  What  makes  you  remember  it  ? " 

Pupil.  "It  was  a  nice  day.  I  was  out  in  the  yard.  It  was  a 
pretty  flower,  and  I  felt  sorry." 

Teacher.    "Now  tell  it  all." 

Pupil.  "  <  Drooping  head '  makes  me  think  of  one  hot  afternoon  in 
the  summer  when  I  was  out  in  the  yard  walking  around.  I  saw  a 
flower  bending  way  over.  It  was  a  pretty  flower,  and  I  felt  sorry, 
for  it  was  dying." 


CHAPTER   III 

THE   STUDY  OF  METAPHOR  AND   TYPES 
I 

WHEN  one  says,  "  She  glided  out  of  the  room,"  what 
is  the  mental  process  of  the  speaker?  What  is  the 
type-idea  he  has  in  mind  when  he  says  "glided"  ?  He 
has,  subconsciously  at  least,  an  image  of  something  that 
has  that  typical  motion.  It  may  be  the  motion  of  a 
serpent,  or  of  a  quiet  brook.  The  motion  of  the  woman 
was  so  much  like  the  motion  of  the  thing  thus  called 
to  mind  as  to  be  named  after  the  type-element  in  the 
latter. 

"Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet."  What  did  the 
composer  of  the  psalm  have  in  mind?  Just  this.  In 
his  country  vipers  were  numerous.  They  came  out 
after  dark.  They  even  came  into  the  houses.  A  lamp 
was  attached  to  the  toe  of  the  sandal,  when  one  had  to 
walk  in  such  places  as  were  especially  dangerous  at 
night,  for  the  purpose  of  disclosing  the  reptile  and 
alarming  it  as  well.  Notice  now  the  power  of  the  meta- 
phor. The  lamp  was  taken  as  a  spiritual  type-idea. 

We  use  such  borrowed  type-elements  much  more 
than,  at  first  mention,  it  is  possible  to  realize.  Much 
of  slang,  so-called,  is  nothing  more  than  the  extreme 
use  of  type-elements. 

D  33 


34  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

In  the  childhood  of  the  races  as  well  as  in  the  child- 
hood of  the  individual,  we  find  this  tendency  to  employ 
type-ideas.  The  ancient  picture  writing,  the  North 
American  Indians  with  the  rattlesnake's  skin  filled  with 
arrows,  the  imagery  of  the  Book  of  Job,  as  in  fact  of 
all  the  Jewish  writings,  are  rich  in  illustrations  of  the 
power  of  type  meanings.  The  lion  and  the  lamb,  the 
dove  and  the  eagle,  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  and  the  wil- 
low, the  sword  and  the  plowshare,  the  pruning  hook  and 
the  spear,  the  hills  around  about  Jerusalem,  each  and 
all  are  in  their  type-potency  the  cloven  tongues  of  fire 
which  every  man  may  understand  in  his  own  language. 

In  the  study  of  metaphor,  the  method  is  much  the 
same  as  in  the  study  of  emotional  words.  But  it  is  not 
well  to  push  the  details  of  experience  forward  so  much 
as  in  the  study  of  emotional  words.  What  we  wish  to 
have  imaged  in  the  mind  is  the  likeness  that  made  the 
metaphor  possible.  Hence  it  is  best  to  give  the  meta- 
phor first  apart  from  the  context,  and  require  the  pupil  to 
call  to  mind  what  is  the  most  natural  thing  suggested  by 
the  word.  Sometimes  there  will  be  a  vivid  experience 
connected  with  the  word.  In  that  case  let  the  pupil 
give  the  experience.  The  word  will  be  the  richer  in 
meaning  for  that  experience. 

We  have  now  reached  the  point  where  we  can  see 
what  a  far-reaching  literary  principle  the  law  of  "types  " 
really  is.  When  we  were  dealing  with  effects  of  mood 
we  were  seeking  the  type  of  feeling  expressed.  In  the 
study  of  character  effects  we  were  trying  to  identify 
the  type  of  character  implied.  In  the  metaphor  we 
discover  an  outward  evincement  of  an  inner  spiritual 
type.  The  types  are  in  our  minds,  and  we  try  to  ex- 


STUDY    OF    METAPHOR   AND    TYPES     35 

press  them  by  some  outward  symbol.  When  the  out- 
ward symbol  approaches  very  close  to  the  inner  type, 
we  call  one  thing  by  the  name  of  another.  That  is 
metaphor.  If  the  likeness  is  a  degree  farther  removed, 
we  use  the  simile,  and  say  one  thing  is  like  another. 
Such  is  the  broad  application  of  the  principle  of  type 
meanings. 

II 

Below  are  some  lessons  on  metaphors  as  worked  out 
in  a  First  Primary  grade. 

Teacfier.    "  What  does  *  floating  '  make  you  think  of  ? " 

Pupils.  "A  boat  floating  down  the  river."  "A  stick  floating 
down  the  river."  "  Leaves  floating  from  the  trees."  "  Butterflies 
floating  in  the  air."  "  Leaves  floating  on  the  pond." 

Teacher.   "  Where  do  things  really  float? " 

Pupil.   "  On  the  water." 

Teacher.  "  Why  say,  <  The  seeds  of  the  dandelion  are  floating  on 
the  breeze '  ? " 

Pupil.  "  Because  they  move  along  on  the  air  as  they  would  on 
the  water." 

Teacher.   "  What  does  '  swarmed '  make  you  think  of  ? " 

Pupils.    "  Of  a  swarm  of  bees."     "  It  makes  me  think  of  a  swarm 

of  flies."     "It  makes  me  think  of  a  swarm  of  bees  I  saw  in  our  apple 

tree.     The  tree  looked  almost  black." 

Teacher.    "Why  say,  'The  people  swarmed  about  the  park '?" 
Pupils.   "Because  there  were  so  many."     "They  were  as  thick 

as  bees."     "There  were  as  many  people  as  a  swarm  of  bees." 

Teacher.  "  What  does  '  lonely '  make  you  think  of  ? " 
Pupils.  "  It  makes  me  think  of  the  time  when  mamma  and  all  my 
big  sisters  and  brothers  went  away  and  I  had  to  stay  and  take  care 
of  the  baby.  We  felt  lonesome."  "  One  time  my  mamma  went  up 
town  and  locked  Rita  in  the  house.  She  was  awful  lonely."  "  It 
makes  me  think  of  one  day  when  I  went  home  from  school  and  no 
one  was  there.  I  had  to  stay  by  myself  until  nearly  dark.  I  was 
so  lonely  that  I  cried." 


36  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Teacher.   "  Why  speak  of  a '  lonely  flower '  ?   Does  it  feel  lonely  ?  " 
Pupils.    "It  is  growing  by  itself."     "It  is  all  alone.1'     "There  is 
no  other  flower  near  it." 

Teacher.   "  What  does  t  veil '  make  you  think  of  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  It  makes  me  think  of  last  Sunday  when  mamma  went 
to  church  and  wore  a  veil  over  her  face."  "Mamma  put  a  veil  over 
baby's  face  to  keep  the  light  out  of  her  eyes."  "When  I  came  to 
school  that  cold  day  I  wore  a  veil  over  my  face."  "  I  wear  a  veil 
when  I  go  to  Sunday-school."  "  Mamma  makes  me  wear  a  veil 
when  it's  very  cold." 

Teacher.    "  You  have  all  thought  of  a  veil  as  being  what? " 

Pupil.-  "  Something  to  put  over  one's  face." 

Teacher.   "  Why  say,  <  veil  of  clouds '  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  The  clouds  are  over  the  sky."  "  The  clouds  make  a  veil 
over  the  sky's  face."  "  The  clouds  cover  the  blue  face  of  the  sky." 

Teacher.    "  Why  say,  <  veil  of  night '  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  The  dark  is  the  veil."  "  The  darkness  covers  the  sky." 
"  JVoj  the  darkness  doesn't  cover  the  sky.  It  covers  everything." 


Ill 

After  the  study  of  certain  plants  and  animals  that 
have  been  long  recognized  as  evincements,  in  their 
degree,  of  spiritual  types,  the  children  were  asked  this 
question :  — 

"  Now  suppose  this  flower  (or  whatever  object  is 
being  studied)  were  turned  into  a  person,  what  kind  of 
a  person  would  it  be  ? "  The  following  answers  were 
given  orally  by  first-grade  pupils. 

Lily  (pure  white). 

"A  baby  is  like  a  lily  because  it  is  pure  and  white  and  good." 

Oak  Tree. 

"  The  oak  tree  gives  cool  shade,  nuts  for  squirrels,  and  a  place 
for  the  birds  to  play  and  build  their  nests.  A  person  like  the  oak 
tree  would  be  a  man,  strong  and  tall.  He  would  be  kind,  and  help 
weak  people." 


STUDY   OF    METAPHOR   AND    TYPES     37 

A  Mouse. 

"A  person  like  a  mouse  would  be  a  little  boy  who  was  very  still. 
He  would  steal  things  to  eat,  and  would  not  be  very  easy  to  catch." 

The  Cow. 

"A  person  like  the  cow  would  be  kind,  gentle,  and  not  selfish." 

The  following  are  from  second-grade  pupils :  — 

A  Wasp. 

"  If  a  wasp  were  changed  into  a  little  girl,  she  would  be  pretty." 

"  She  would  not  be  nice  to  play  with,  because  she  would  always 
get  angry  and  say  cross  words." 

"  She  would  always  think  about  her  clothes,  and  would  not  play 
with  children  who  did  not  wear  nice  dresses." 

A  Rat-Terrier. 

"  A  boy  like  our  rat-terrier  would  be  good." 
"  He   would   mind   his   friends.     He  would  watch  the   children 
when  his  mamma  went  away." 

"He  would  drive  the  chickens  out  of  the  garden." 
"  He  would  love  all  his  friends  and  want  to  help  them." 
"  He  would  have  sharp  eyes  and  sharp  ears  to  see  and  hear  every- 
thing around  him." 

Sometimes  a  less  palpable  type-element  was  chosen, 
as  the  following  :  — 

A  Pleasant  Day. 

"A  pleasant  day  is  like  a  little  girl  with  a  bright  face." 
"She  always  gives  people  kind  words." 

"  She  goes  to  see  sick  people,  and  they  are  glad  to  see  her  because 
she  makes  them  feel  better." 

"  She  gives  flowers  to  everybody  that  loves  them." 
"She  is  never  selfish." 

Of  one  thing  the  teacher  must  be  careful.  She  must 
not  force  her  pupils  to  see  a  spiritual  analogy.  They 
may  be  led  into  its  presence,  but  should  be  left  alone 
to  see  or  feel  without  further  assistance.  Otherwise, 
there  is  cultivation  of  cant. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE   THEME 
I 

THE  most  important  thing  is  the  Theme.  The  lesson 
that  a  poem  or  a  story  teaches  is  the  principal  thing  to 
study,  whether  the  lesson  be  of  ultimate  truth  or  of 
ultimate  beauty.  It  must  be  remembered,  however, 
that  the  Theme  is  made  up  of  smaller  units,  each  of 
which  has  its  value,  and  the  sum  of  which  make  the 
value  of  the  Theme.  This  sum  total  is  what  we  want 
to  obtain  in  our  study  of  the  Theme,  and  in  order  to 
obtain  it  we  must  find  the  value  of  the  lesser  meanings. 

One  of  the  first  things  to  remember  is  that  the  Theme 
should  not  be  preached  into  pupils.  Lead  them  to  in- 
terpret for  themselves.  Sometimes  it  will  be  necessary 
to  cut  out  some  of  the  preaching  of  the  author  himself. 
For  illustration  take  Jane  Taylor's  The  Violet.  After 
describing  the  appearance  and  home  of  the  flower  in 
a  sympathetic  way,  and  even  interpreting  its  spiritual 
symbolism,  the  author  adds  just  what  the  reader  should 
have  been  allowed  as  his  right  to  discern  :  — 

"  Then  let  me  to  the  valley  go, 

This  pretty  flower  to  see, 
That  I  may  also  learn  to  grow 
In  sweet  humility." 

In  giving  the  poem  in  this  book,  we  have  omitted  that 
stanza.     The  pupil  must  be  taught  to  interpret  for  him- 

38 


THE    THEME  39 

self,  if  the  study  of  literature  is  to  pay  for  the  time 
spent  upon  it.  Bryant  does  the  same  unnecessary 
interpreting  in  To  a  Waterfowl.  As  early  as  the 
fourth  stanza,  he  says  :  - 

"  There  is  a  Power  whose  care 
Teaches  thy  way  along  that  pathless  coast,  — 
The  desert  and  illimitable  air,  — 
Lone  wandering,  but  not  lost." 

And  then  more  explicitly  in  the  last  stanza  :  — 

"  He  who,  from  zone  to  zone, 

Guides  through  the  boundless  sky  thy  certain  flight, 
In  the  long  way  that  I  must  tread  alone, 
Will  lead  my  steps  aright." 

In  intermediate  and  grammar  grades,  these  stanzas  are 
omitted,  and  the  teachers  find  no  difficulty  in  getting 
the  pupils  to  interpret  the  theme.  Almost  without 
exception  each  pupil  sees  the  lesson  of  patience  in 
toil  set  forth  in  the  fifth  stanza. 

In  a  first-primary  class  the  teacher  was  using  Alice 
Gary's  November.  When  she  reached  the  end  of  the 
second  stanza,  the  children  set  forth  the  lesson  unex- 
pectedly in  the  following  way  :  — 

"  When  we  look  at  the  rosebush  in  winter  we  ought  to  think  of 
the  roses,  and  remember  that  they  will  come  again." 

"When  we  aren't  happy  we  must  think  of  the  time  when  we 
were." 

"  Then  we  must  remember  that  we  can  be  happy  again,  and  think 
of  the  roses  that  will  come  again." 

Notice  the  development  of  the  thought  as  it  proceeds 
with  the  several  pupils. 

There  is  a  difference  between  dissection  and  interpre- 


4o  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

tation.  Dissection  may  be  mechanically  pulling  to 
pieces.  Too  often  that  is  all  that  "analysis"  means. 
Interpretation  seeks  to  find  the  spiritual  meaning  of 
literature,  the  thing  which  makes  its  existence  possible 
and  valuable. 

II. 

THE  SUNBEAM 

If  I  were  a  sunbeam, 

I  know  what  Pd  do ; 
I  would  seek  white  lilies, 

Rainy  woodlands  through ; 
I  would  steal  among  them, 

Softest  light  Pd  shed  ; 
Until  every  lily 

Raised  its  drooping  head. 

Teacher.  "If  the  sunbeam  were  a  person,  what  kind  of  a  person 
would  it  be  ? " 

Pupils.  "A  person  like  a  sunbeam  would  be  a  little  girl.  She 
would  look  bright  and  kind.  She  would  help  her  mother,  and  always 
be  happy."  u  We  all  can  be  little  sunbeams  by  being  kind  and  good 
and  making  everybody  happy." 

Teacher.  "  If  a  white  lily  were  changed  into  a  person,  what  kind 
of  a  person  would  it  be  ? " 

Pupil.  "  A  person  like  a  lily  would  be  a  little  baby,  for  a  baby  is 
good  and  has  never  done  anything  naughty." 

Teacher.   "  What  lesson  in  this  poem  for  us  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  We  can  all  go  to  people  who  are  sad,  sick,  have  sorrow 
and  trouble,  and  help  them  till  they  feel  better  and  happy."  "  The 
people  can  be  sunbeams  who  can  find  good  everywhere,  and  who  are 
good  all  the  time." 

(Compare  with  Chapter  II.,  p.  29,  for  another  study 
of  these  lines.) 


CHAPTER   V 

POSES   ANP   PICTURES 

THE  simplest  description  involves  three  things  :  — 

1.  Who  or  what  it  is. 

2.  Where  it  is. 

3.  If  a  living  thing,  what  is  it  doing. 

The  first  work  in  description  should  be  of  this  simple 
kind.  Poses  give  the  best  material  to  work  upon.  They 
are  better  for  this  purpose  than  pictures,  although  pic- 
tures may  be  used  to  advantage. 

The  first  step.  —  Who  and  where. 

Place  a  boy  at  the  corner  of  the  teacher's  desk.  Ask 
the  question,  "  Who  is  this  ?  "  Or,  you  may  say,  "  Tell 
me  who  this  is."  Make  all  talk,  and  look  after  those 
inclined  to  be  shy  or  silent.  Write  one  of  the  replies  on 
the  board,  and  let  the  pupils  read.  They  will  learn 
words,  capitalization,  use  of  punctuation  marks,  para- 
graphing, etc.,  incidentally  by  seeing  the  teacher  write, 
and  by  their  reading  what  they  have  themselves 
composed. 

Then  ask,  "  Where  is  he  ?  "     Proceed  as  before. 

Impress  these  two  points  by  asking  in  the  third  or 
fourth  composition,  "  What  will  you  tell  first  ?  "  "  What 
next  ?  " 

41 


42  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

The  second  step.  —  Who,  where,  what  doing  ? 

When  the  pupils  realize  the  two  things  involved,  and 
express  them  readily,  then  give  a  pose  in  which  the  boy 
shall  be  doing  something.  (See  Pose  No.  I.)  Now  ask 
the  additional  question,  "  What  is  he  doing  ?  "  Proceed 
as  before.  At  this  time  the  poses  should  have  some 
point,  such  as  could  be  named  if  they  were  made  into 
pictures. 

A  vital  point  is  variety  of  expression.  —  The  teacher 
must  encourage  the  pupils  to  say  things  in  different 
ways,  when  good  ways  are  possible.  She  will  at  every 
point  ask,  "  Can  you  express  the  same  thought  in  dif- 
ferent words  ?  "  The  following  is  a  lesson  as  developed 
in  a  first  grade  :  - 

Teacher.   "What  is  the  first  thing  to  tell  ?" 

Pupil.    "Who  it  is." 

Teacher.    "  Tell  me  who  it  is  in  as  many  ways  as  you  can." 

Pupils.  "This  boy  is  Roland."  "I  see  Roland."  "This  is 
Roland."  "Here  is  Roland." 

Teacher.   "  What  do  you  tell  after  telling  who  he  is  ? " 

Pupil   "  Where  he  is." 

Teacher.   "Where  is  he?     In  as  many  ways  as  you  can." 

Pupils.  "  He  is  by  the  table."  (Not  enough.)  "  He  is  standing 
by  the  table."  (Not  enough  yet.)  "  He  is  standing  by  the  corner 
of  the  table."  (Good.) 

Teacher.   "  What  other  word  could  you  use  instead  of  <  by1  ?" 

Pupil   "  We  could  say  'at.'" 

Teacher.   "What  one  word  could  we  use  instead  of  'is  standing' ? " 

Pupil   "  We  could  say  <  stands.'  " 

Teacher.   "  What  will  you  tell  next  about  him  ?  " 

Pupil   "What  he  is  doing." 

Teacher.   "  Tell  it." 

Piipils.  "  He  -is  working  with  the  blocks."  "  He  is  building  a 
church."  "He  is  building  a  church  with  blocks." 

Teacher.   "  Can  any  one  tell  it  in  still  another  way  ?  " 

Pupil   "  He  is  building  a  block  church." 


POSES    AND    PICTURES  43 

Teacher.   u  Now,  you  may  name  this  pose.11 

Pupil.  "  Building  a  Church.1'  (Teacher  writes  the  subject  above 
the  composition,  and  then  asks  Rosa  to  read.  This  is  what  she 
read :  — 

BUILDING  A  CHURCH 

This  boy  is  Roland. 

He  is  standing  by  the  corner  of  the  table. 

He  is  building  a  block  church. 

The  third  step.  —  More  complicated  poses. 

We  are  now  ready  to  take  more  complicated  poses. 
(See  Pose  No.  II.)  The  teacher  asks  the  following 
questions,  and  writes  the  answers  in  turn,  as  soon  as 
they  are  given. 

"What  shall  we  play  Marie  is?"     (Introduction.) 

"Where  is  the  doll?" 

"  Where  is  Marie  ?  "     (Including  position.) 

"  What  is  she  doing  ?  " 

"  What  else  do  you  wish  to  say  ? "     (Inference.) 

The  composition  as  given  :  — 

THE  LITTLE  ARTIST 

Marie  is  a  little  artist. 

Her  doll  is  standing  against  the  wall. 

She  is  sitting  on  the  floor  upon  a  rug  in  front  of  the  doll.  She 
has  a  sheet  of  paper  in  her  lap,  and  a  pencil  in  her  right  hand.  She 
is  drawing  a  picture  of  her  doll.  I  think  she  is  making  a  good 
picture. 

The  pupils  then  copy  in  order  to  get  the  form,  to 
learn  the  words,  and  to  impress  the  laws  of  composition 
incidentally. 

A  still  more  complicated  pose  might  be  given  a  little 
later.  (See  Pose  No.  III.)  Take  two  little  girls,  and 


44 


LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 


let  them  play  that  their  doll  is  ill.  Place  one  girl  upon, 
a  stool.  Put  a  pillow  upon  her  lap,  and  upon  this  lay 
the  doll.  Place  another  girl  in  front  of  her,  standing 
and  holding  out  a  cup  of  medicine  with  a  spoon  in  it. 
The  teacher  asks  the  following  questions  :  — 

"  What  shall  we  call  this  ? "     (Subject.) 
"What  are  the  girls  playing  ?  "     (Introduction.) 
"  Whom  will  you  talk  about  first  ?  " 

"  What  will  you  tell  about  her  ? "  (Ans.  Where  and  what 
doing.) 

"  Whom  will  you  talk  about  next  ?  " 

"What  will  you  tell  about  her  ? " 

"What  else  do  you  wish  to  say  ?  "     (Inference.) 

Then  let  some  one  describe  the  entire  pose.  The  com- 
position will  appear  something  like  the  following :  — 

THE  SICK  DOLL 

Nettie  and  Ruth  are  playing  that  their  doll  is  sick. 

Nettie  is  sitting  in  the  front  of  the  room  upon  a  stool.  She  has 
a  pillow  upon  her  lap,  and  a  doll  lying  upon  the  pillow.  She  is 
looking  worried  because  the  doll  is  so  sick.  Ruth  is  standing  in 
front  of  Nettie.  She  is  bending  toward  Nettie,  and  holding  out  a 
cup  of  medicine  in  both  hands. 

I  think  they  will  take  such  good  care  of  the  doll  that  it  will  soon 
be  well. 

In  this  begin  to  teach  paragraphing.  This  descrip- 
tion takes  three  paragraphs,  viz.,  the  introduction,  the 
description  proper,  the  conclusion. 

Observe  the  introductory  sentence,  and  what  it  tells. 
Note  also  that  it  is  important  to  select  the  things  in  the 
right  order.  Otherwise  there  would  be  some  confusion. 
Try  taking  Ruth  before  Nettie,  and  notice  how  you  are 
forced  to  refer  to  Nettie  before  you  are  ready,  or  to 


POSES    AND    PICTURES  45 

leave  it  not  lear  that  Ruth  is  holding  the  cup  toward 
Nettie.  Observe  that  there  is  very  little  difference  in 
the  treatment  of  the  parts  of  the  complex  picture  and 
the  whole  of  the  simple  picture.  In  the  complex  picture 
they  give  the  ivho  and  the  where  in  the  same  sentence, 
and  they  locate  the  subordinate  objects  with  reference 
to  the  principal  ones.  For  example,  Ruth  is  located 
with  reference  to  Nettie,  in  the  preceding  description. 

The  fourth  step.  —  Posing  for  imaginative  description. 

Turn  to  Pose  No.  IV.  The  teacher  asked  Rosa  to 
describe  Perry.  Rosa  gave  the  following  :  — 

This  boy  is  Perry. 

He  is  sitting  on  a  box  that  is  on  the  table.  He  is  holding  with 
both  hands  a  pointer  that  has  a  string  on  the  tip.  There  is  a  can 
sitting  by  the  box. 

He  is  playing  like  he  is  fishing. 

I  think  he  is  having  a  good  time. 

(The  mistake  in  using  like  was  noted.  Formal  drill 
was  given  later.) 

Then  the  teacher  said,  "  Now,  children,  let  us  play 
that  this  is  not  a  box,  that  this  is  not  the  table,  that  this 
is  not  the  floor,  that  this  isn't  a  pointer,  and  that  Perry 
is  not  playing." 

Teacher.   "If  he  is  not  playing,  what  is  he  doing  ?  " 
Pupil.    "He  is  fishing." 
Teacher.   "  Then  what  shall  we  call  him  ?  " 
Pupil.    "The  fisherman." 

Teacher.  "  Then  if  Perry  is  a  fisherman,  what  are  all  of  these 
things  ? " 

Pupils.    "  A  rock,"  "  the  bank  of  the  river,"  etc. 

Teacher,   "Eddie  may  tell  it  all." 

Eddie. 


46  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 


THE  FISHERMAN 

"  This  little  fisherman  is  Perry. 

"  He  is  sitting  on  a  rock  close  by  the  shore  of  the  pond.     He  is 
holding  the  fishing  pole  tight  in  his  hands,  and  is  trying  to  catch  fish. 
"  He  has  an  old  can  of  worms  by  the  rock. 
"It  is  summer,  and  very  warm. 
"  I  think  he  likes  to  fish  because  he  looks  happy." 

In  more  advanced  grades,  the  pupils  would  be  asked 
to  recall  some  fishing  place  they  had  seen,  and  describe 
Perry  as  sitting  in  that  place.  They  would  naturally  be 
asked  also  to  describe  the  day  and  other  things  that  would 
make  up  the  pleasures  of  that  fishing  experience.  In  this 
manner  the  pose  may  be  made  the  occasion  for  recalling 
experiences,  and  for  setting  the  constructive  imagination 
a  task  that  it  can  perform. 

Pictures  may  be  used  in  all  the  steps.  The  method 
of  treatment  is  the  same  as  in  poses.  Be  sure  to  select 
studies  that  are  not  too  complicated,  that  have  a  point, 
that  are  interesting  to  children.  The  best  results  are 
obtained  from  the  use  of  pictures  which  depict  intense 
emotion. 

But  the  most  important  thing  of  all  in  point  of  method 
is  the  leading  of  pupils  to  interpret  the  effects  in  the 
picture.  "  What  does  the  straw  hat  tell  you  ? "  "  What 
do  the  pole  and  line  tell  you  ?  "  "  What  tells  you  that  it 
is  a  warm  day  ?  "  These  are  illustrations  of  the  language 
of  the  picture  that  the  child  must  learn  to  see  and  to 
translate.  Pupils  who  are  taught  to  interpret  in  their 
reading  easily  learn  to  interpret  pictures.  Illustrations 
are  given  below  of  what  a  first-grade  class  readily  saw 
in  three  pictures. 


POSES   AND    PICTURES  47 


ADRIFT 

Teacher.  "  What  are  some  of  the  hints  you  see  in  the  picture  ? " 
Pupils.  "  The  big  waves  and  the  broken  vessel  tell  that  there  has 
been  a  storm."  "  The  man  is  waving  to  the  other  ship  for  help." 
"  The  boy  is  weak  and  tired,  and  so  afraid."  "  The  papa  is  kind  to 
tie  him  to  the  stick  to  keep  him  from  being  washed  off.  He  is  kind 
because  he  didn't  tie  it  around  himself." 


A   STUDY    OF   THE    "HINTS"   IN  THE   PICTURE 

Teacher.    "  What  hints  do  you  see  ?  " 

Pupils.    "  They  are  in  a  boat  on  the  ocean,  but  not  very  far  from 

the  shore."     "  The  man  is  a  fisherman." 

Teacher.   "  What  tells  you  that  he  is  a  fisherman  ?  " 

Pupils.    "  He  has  a  net."     ".He  has  a  hook  and  a  spike  on  a  pole." 

Teacher.    "  What  other  things  about  the  man  ?  " 

Pupils.    "He  is  kind  and  loves  his  little  girl,  because  he  lets  her 

help  him."     "  His  face  looks  kind  too."    "  He  is  not  rich  because  he 

has  on  wooden  shoes."     "They  don't  wear  wooden  shoes  in  this 

country ;  only  sometimes  Germans  do."     "  His  clothes  are  patched. 

They  are  poor."     "  They  try  to  make  things  last."     "He  smokes  a 

pipe." 

Teacher.   "  What  hints  about  the  little  girl  ? " 

Pupils.   "  She  loves  her  papa,  because  she  is  trying  to  help  him." 

"  She  is  kind."     "  She  is  neat." 


A  FASCINATING  TALE 

Teacher.   "  What  do  the  books  and  inkstand  tell  you  ?  " 
Pupil.   4<  The  people  like  to  read  and  write." 
Teacher.    "  What  will  you  talk  about  next  ?  " 
Pupil.   "  The  little  white  kitten." 
Teacher.    "  What  hints  about  it  ?  " 
Pupil.   "  It  is  ready  to  jump  and  is  watching." 
Teacher.   "  Take  up  the  next  thing  and  tell  the  hints  about  it." 
Pupil.    "  The  little  black  kitten  is  watching  on  the  other  side  of 
the  stand,  and  is  going  to  catch  with  its  claws." 


48  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Teacher.    "  Take  the  next  thing.1' 

Pupils.  "  The  mother  cat  wants  the  little  ones  to  catch  it."  "  If 
they  let  it  go,  she  will  catch  it."  "  She  is  ready  to  spring."  "  She 
is  a  kind  mother." 

Teacher.   "  Take  the  next  thing." 

Pupil   "  The  rat  is  hiding." 

The  teacher  should  know  the  fundamental  laws  of 
composition  in  order  to  see  readily  and  clearly  the  mis- 
takes that  the  pupils  make  in  composition.  She  is  not 
a  good  teacher  who  is  unable  to  say  at  once,  "Just  here 
you  miss,  or  there  exceed  the  mark."  The  following 
laws  have  been  laid  down  by  Day  and  others :  — 

1.  The  Law  of  Unity. 

2.  The  Law  of  Selection. 

3.  The  Law  of  Order,  or  Arrangement. 

4.  The  Law  of  Proportion. 

The  law  of  Unity  requires  the  selection  of  a  single 
theme,  and  the  "  sticking  to  the  text."  The  law  of  Selec- 
tion requires  the  choice  of  just  such  things,  principal 
and  subordinate,  as  are  necessary  to  the  clear  and  forci- 
ble presentation  of  the  theme,  and  it  requires  the  exclu- 
sion of  all  unnecessary  things.  The  law  of  Order  or 
Arrangement  requires  such  a  logical  presentation,  as 
regards  order  or  arrangement,  of  the  things  that  they 
shall  not  be  confused  one  with  another.  This  enables  a 
clear  and  progressive  mental  picture  in  the  mind  of  the 
hearer  or  reader  as  the  theme  is  presented.  The  law 
of  Proportion  demands  that  each  thing  selected  shall 
have  its  due  amount  of  attention,  neither  more  nor  less. 
These  last  two  laws  might  together  be  called  the  law  of 
Coordination  and  Subordination,  which  requires  that  the 


POSES   AND    PICTURES  49 

principal  things  shall  be  so  presented  that  they  may  be 
easily  distinguished  from  the  subordinate  things,  and 
that  things  of  coordinate  value  shall  be  recognized  in 
that  relation.  In  the  picture  "  Adrift,"  the  artist  took 
for  his  theme  a  raft  of  shipwrecked  people  afloat  at  sea. 
He  selected  a  raft  in  a  sea  of  tossing  waves,  a  boy,  and 
a  man  for  the  principal  objects,  and  a  distant  ship  to 
which  the  man  on  the  raft  is  signaling,  as  the  subordi- 
nate object.  The  ship  is  subordinated  to  the  raft  by  be- 
ing in  the  background  and  by  being  very  indistinctly 
visible.  Thus  both  position  and  treatment  are  used  to 
subordinate  it  to  the  raft. 

To  lead  pupils  to  see  the  principal  and  the  subor- 
dinate effects  in  a  picture,  say  to  them,  "  Suppose  we 
had  to  cut  this  picture  down  or  to  leave  out  some  things, 
what  would  you  leave  out  first  ?  What  next  ?  What 
next?  "  etc.  Continue  until  you  have  come  down  to  the 
point  in  exclusion  where  the  theme  would  be  lost  by 
further  omissions.  They  will  then  see  the  relative  value 
of  the  objects  in  the  picture.  Then  study  how  the 
author  made  you  see  that  the  first  things  were  the  least 
important,  and  the  last  the  most  important. 

The  composition  of  a  picture  is  analogous  to  the  com- 
position of  an  essay  or  an  oration.  In  the  case  of  the 
essay,  a  subject  or  theme  is  chosen;  then  the  principal 
points  for  discussion  are  selected ;  then  the  subordinate 
points  under  each  principal ;  then  the  points  are  arranged 
in  logical  and  distinct  order ;  and  lastly,  each  point  re- 
ceives its  proper  amount  of  attention,  neither  more  nor 
less. 

When  pupils  violate  the  laws  of  composition,  do  not 
quote  laws  to  them,  but  lead  them  to  see  the  violation  of 


50  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

a  common-sense  principle.  To  illustrate,  if  the  law  of 
selection  is  violated  by  omitting  something  of  impor- 
tance, ask,  "  Why  did  you  leave  that  out  ?  Is  it  of  no 
service  ?  "  If  it  be  the  law  of  order  that  is  violated,  ask, 
"  Why  did  you  run  all  about?  What  should  you  have 
taken  first?  What  next?"  etc.  Impress  upon  them, 
too,  that  they  should  complete  the  treatment  of  one  sub- 
ject before  taking  up  the  next.  If  it  be  the  law  of  pro- 
portion that  is  violated,  say,  "  Why  did  you  talk  so  much 
more  (or  less)  about  that  point  than  the  other  ?  Is  not 
the  one  just  as  important  as  the  other  ? " 

In  dealing  with  pictures,  do  not  neglect  the  spiritual 
for  the  sake  of  the  formal.  Lead  pupils  to  interpret  the 
effects  in  pictures.  Train  them  to  discover  those  fun- 
damental type-meanings  which  the  artist  has  employed 
to  set  forth  principles  of  fundamental  truth  or  beauty. 
Interpretation  as  applied  to  art  in  literature  is  equally 
applicable  to  art  in  any  field.  The  purpose  of  all  art  is 
to  reveal  truth  and  beauty,  and  the  fundamental  types  of 
expression  in  each  field  of  art  are  spiritually  the  same. 
Of  course,  this  assumes  the  use  of  compositions  of  art 
value. 


CHAPTER  VI 
SUGGESTIONS  ON  TEACHING  FORMS 

SPECIAL  drills  on  forms  are  necessary.  The  teacher 
should  note  the  mistakes  that  children  make,  and  should 
arrange  for  lessons  that  will  be  drills  on  the  correct 
forms.  These  lessons  should  be  conversational,  and 
should  not  require  difficult  thought  work.  Such  drills 
might  come  at  the  close  of  a  recitation,  or  in  a  special 
period  of  their  own.  Corrections  should  not,  as  a  rule, 
be  made  at  the  time  of  reciting.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to 
deaden  the  children's  enthusiasm  and  concentrated 
thought  by  forcing  a  criticism  upon  some  mistake  in 
form  that  has  been  made. 

Do  not  run  this  risk.  It  is  better  to  wait,  but  be  sure 
that  the  needed  drill  and  correction  occur  at  some  future 
time.  Below  we  give  a  few  illustrations  in  the  method 
of  obtaining  conversational  lessons  involving  the  use  of 
such  forms  as  need  the  teacher's  special  care. 

i.  Some  Lessons  on  the  Singular  and  Plural  Forms 
of  Verbs  and  Nouns. 

(a)  "Tell  me  about  something  that  runs."     "  Some- 
thing else,"  etc. 

(b)  "Tell  me  about  something  that  flies."     (A  bird 
flies.)     "  Tell  me  the  same  thing  about  more  than  one 
bird."     (Birds  fly.) 

51 


52  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

(c)  "Tell  me  about  something  that  is  black."     "Tell 
me  the  same  thing  about  more  than  one." 

(d)  "  Tell  me  about  something  that  has  wings."    "  Tell 
me  the  same  thing  about  more  than  one." 

(e)  "When  I  say  something  about  one  you  may  say 
the  same  thing  about  more  than  one." 

(/)  "  When  I  say  something  about  more  than  one  you 
may  say  the  same  thing  about  one" 

(g)  "  Tell  me  about  two  things  that  walk." 

(K)  "  Tell  me  something  that  a  cat,  a  dog,  and  a  bird 
do." 

(i)  "  Tell  me  something  a  boy  does,  and  something 
else  a  girl  does." 

2.  Lessons  on  the  use  of  A  and  An. 

(a)  Have  objects  on  the  desk  for  children  to  take. 
Let  them  take  them  and  say,  "  I  have,"  etc. 

(£)  Let  them  look  from  the  window  and  tell  what 
they  see,  naming  single  objects. 

(c)  Put  names  of  objects  on  the  board,  objects  whose 
names  begin  with  vowel  sounds,  and  let  them  tell  that 
they  have  seen  an  apple  or  an  orange,  as  the  case  may 
be,  pointing  to  the  word  at  the  same  time. 

3.  Drills  on  Tense  Forms. 

Teacher.   "  What  does  the  janitor  do  every  morning  at  8.30  ?  " 
Pupil.   «  He  rings  the  bell." 

Teacher.   "  What  did  he  do  yesterday  morning  at  8.30  ?  " 
Pupil.   "  He  rang  the  bell." 
Teacher.    "  What  has  he  done  this  morning  ?  " 
Pupil.   «  He  has  (?)  the  bell." 

Teacher.  "What  had  he  done  to  the  bell  before  you  came  this 
morning  ? " 


From  painting  by  Mme.  Ronner. 

A  FASCINATING  TALE 


TEACHING    FORMS  53 

Pupil    "He  had  (?)  the  bell." 

Teacher.  "What  have  the  janitors  done  to  the  bells  this 
morning  ?  " 

Pupil.    "They  have  (?)  the  bells." 

Teacher.  "  When  you  are  talking  of  time  that  is  gone  what 
should  you  say  —  ring,  rang,  or  rung?  With  has,  have,  and  had 
which  word  should  you  use  ?  " 

Then  place  the  forms  on  the  board,  where  they  may 
remain  for  some  time  in  this  form  :  — 


ring,  rings,  has    1 

rang,  have  j-  rung. 

had  J 

It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  have  a  bell  at  hand  and  let 
the  pupils  do  the  acting  themselves. 

The  filling  of  blanks  has  some  value,  and  the  correct- 
ing of  incorrect  expressions  also,  but  the  most  benefit 
will  come  from  drills  similar  to  those  given  above.  Be 
sure  to  keep  a  list  of  incorrect  expressions  which  the 
children  use,  so  that  you  may  give  your  language  drills 
where  they  are  needed. 

When  pupils  have  acquired  more  confidence,  you  may 
call  attention  to  mistakes  that  have  been  made  in  a  com- 
position, just  after  the  composition  has  been  given.  But 
do  not  at  any  time  stop  a  pupil  in  the  midst  of  his  work 
to  correct  a  form. 


PART   II 

SELECTIONS   AND   STUDIES 


SELECTIONS   AND   STUDIES   OF   EFFECTS 
OR   HINTS 

HARRY   AND   CARLO 

Harry  and  his  nurse  were  out  walking.  They  met  a 
man  carrying  three  puppies  to  the  river. 

Carlo  put  his  nose  on  Harry's  little  hand,  and  Harry 
put  his  arms  around  Carlo's  neck.  Just  then  Harry's 
father  came  along,  and  said  Harry  might  have  Carlo  for 
his  own. 

One  day  Harry  and  Carlo  were  out  in  the  garden 
playing.  The  nurse  left  them  for  a  minute.  When  she 
came  back  she  called  Harry  as  loud  as  she  could.  His 
papa  and  mamma  came  running  out,  and  just  then  they 
heard  Carlo  barking.  They  ran  to  the  spot  from  which 
the  sound  came. 

There  lay  Harry  on  the  grass,  all  wet  and  cold.  In 
his  little  hand  he  still  held  a  water-lily.  Carlo  stood  be- 
tween Harry  and  the  edge  of  the  pond,  barking  and 
wagging  his  tail. 

After  that  Harry  and  Carlo  were  always  together. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in,  "Harry  and  his  nurse  were  out  walking"  ?  In 
"They  met  a  man  carrying  three  puppies  to  the  river"? 

In,  "  Carlo  put  his  nose  on  Harry's  little  hand  "  ?  In,  "  Harry  put 
his  arms  around  Carlo's  neck  "  ?  In,  "  Said  he  might  have  Carlo  for 
his  own  "  ? 

57 


58  LESSONS    IN   ENGLISH 

In,  " One  day  Harry  and  Carlo  were  out  in  the  garden  playing"  ? 
In,  "When  she  came  back  she  called  Harry  as  loud  as  she  could"  ? 
In,  "  His  papa  and  mamma  came  running  out "  ?  In,  "  Then  they 
heard  Carlo  barking"  ?  In,  "They  ran  to  the  spot  from  which  the 
sound  came  "  ? 

In,  "There  lay  Harry  all  wet  and  cold"  ?  In,  "He  still  held  a 
water-lily"  ?  In,  "Carlo  stood  between  Harry  and  the  edge  of  the 
pond  "  ?  In,  "Barking  and  wagging  his  tail "  ? 

In,  "After  that  Harry  and  Carlo  were  always  together"  ? 


FRED'S    PETS 

One  day  Fred's  papa  gave  him  five  little  white  rabbits. 

Fred  clapped  his  hands  and  said,  "  Thank  you,  papa, 
thank  you ! " 

He  made  a  pen  for  them  and  he  shut  them  up  every 
night. 

When  he  fed  them  they  came  to  him  and  ate  from  his 
hand.  They  liked  clover,  grass,  bread,  and  cabbage. 

One  morning  he  found  only  four  in  the  pen.  He  ran 
in  to  tell  his  papa  that  some  one  had  taken  his  smallest 
rabbit. 

Just  as  he  said,  "  Who  could  have  taken  it  ?  "  he  saw 
his  old  cat  washing  something  red  from  her  white  paws. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  ? 

What  hint  in,  "  Fred  clapped  his  hands  "  ?  What  in  what  he  said 
to  his  papa  ?  What  in  the  next  sentence  ? 

What  in,  "  They  came  to  him  and  ate  from  his  hand"  ? 

"  One  morning  he  found  only  four  in  the  pen."     Hints  what  ? 

What  hints  in  the  next  sentence  ?     In  the  last  sentence  ? 

Who  took  his  rabbit  ?  What  tells  you  ?  Be  careful  to  tell  just 
what  tells  it  —  nothing  more. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  59 

THE   LOST   HAT 

A  man,  bent  and  gray,  leaned  upon  a  stick,  and  for  a 
long  time  watched  the  boats  out  on  the  lake. 

Now  his  long  white  hair  blows  about  his  face  and  his 
hat  lies  in  the  water. 

He  reaches  for  it  with  his  stick,  but  it  drifts  slowly  out 
to  meet  the  boats. 

He  turns  to  walk  away  when  Jimmie  White  comes 
along  with  his  dog. 

He  says,  "  I  can  swim.  I  will  get  your  hat  for 
you." 

But  Rover  sees  the  hat  and  they  hear  a  loud  bark  and 
a  splash.  Jimmie  laughs  and  calls,  "  You  saw  it  first. 
Good  old  Rover !  " 

Soon  Rover  brings  the  hat.  Jimmie  pats  him,  then 
gives  the  hat  to  the  man,  saying,  "  I  am  sorry  that  it  is 
so  wet." 

"  Thank  you,  my  boy  !  Thank  you,  Rover,  too  !  " 
says  the  old  man  as  he  walks  slowly  away. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  part  of  the  first  sentence  ?  What  in  his 
watching  "  for  a  long  time  "  ? 

What  hints  in  the  second  sentence  ?  In,  "  He  reaches  for  it  with 
his  stick  "  ?  In  its  drifting  slowly  out  toward  the  boats  ? 

What  hint  in,  "  He  turns  to  walk  away"  ? 

What  hints  concerning  Jimmie  in  the  next  sentence  ?  What  in, 
"  They  hear  a  loud  bark  and  a  splash  "  ? 

What  hints  concerning  both  Jimmie  and  Rover  in  the  next  sen- 
tence ? 

What  hints  about  the  man  in  the  last  sentence  ? 


60  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

JUST   FOR   FUN 

"  Let's  run  up  behind  Tim  Ragan  and  knock  his  hat 
off.  He'll  have  to  pick  it  up  with  his  teeth.  Come, 
let's  do  it,"  said  Frank. 

"  What  for  ? "  asked  Ellis. 

"Just  for  fun." 

"  Well,  where  would  be  the  fun  ?  " 

"  Fun  for  us,"  said  Frank. 

"  No  fun  at  all,"  Ellis  answered.  "  Fun  ought  to 
make  people  happy  all  'round,  my  mother  says.  And 
she  knows.  I'll  tell  you  what  to  do.  Let's  catch  up 
with  him  and  haul  him  home  in  our  cart,  with  his  bundles 
and  all.  That  would  be  fun." 

So  the  boys  tried  that  sort  of  fun.  When  they  started 
back  from  Tim's  house,  Frank  said  thoughtfully,  "Well, 
that  was  fun  !  " 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  ?  What  in,  "  He'll  have  to  pick 
it  up  with  his  teeth  "  ?  Can  you  find  two  hints  in  the  next  sentence  ? 

What  hint  in  Frank's  answer  ?  What  in  ElhVs  saying,  "  Where 
would  be  the  fun  "  ?  Why  does  Frank  say,  "  Fun  for  us  "  ?  What 
hint  ?  In  the  next  three  sentences  what  hints  about  Ellis  ?  About 
his  mother  ? 

What  hint  in  what  Ellis  wants  to  do  for  fun  ? 

In  the  last  sentence  what  hint  in  "  thoughtfully "  ?  What  in, 
"Well,  that  was  fun"? 

A   GOOD   WAY 

"  Come  and  play  croquet  with  Ruth  and  me,  Harry," 
said  his  sister  Nellie. 

"  Oh,  I  can't ;  I  want  to  go  and  sail  my  ship  for  a 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  61 

while/'  said  Harry.  "  You  come  with  me  and  see  how 
she  will  glide  over  the  water." 

"  Oh,  please  play  with  us,  Harry  !  " 

"Well,  I'll  play  after  we  sail  the  ship  awhile," 
said  Harry.  "  Folks  ought  to  give  up  to  each  other 
about  their  play,  mamma  says.  So  come  along  with 
me." 

"  But  why  should  Ruth  and  I  give  up  more  than 
you  ?  "  said  Nellie. 

"  Let's  go  and  ask  mamma  who  should  give  up,"  said 
Harry.  So  they  went  to  their  mamma. 

"  Mamma,"  said  Nellie,  "  Ruth  and  I  want  Harry 
to  play  croquet  with  us,  and  he  wants  to  sail  his 
boat." 

"  Then  some  one  must  give  up,  surely,"  said  mamma, 
smiling.  "  Of  course  you  all  want  to  be  kind  and  pleas- 
ant. Harry  wants  to  be  a  gentleman,  and  a  boy  who  is 
a  gentleman  gives  up." 

"  Well,"  said  Harry,  "  we'll  play  croquet  first."  And 
that  was  the  way  they  settled  it. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  as  to  time  in  the  first  sentence  ?  In  the  second  and 
the  third  sentence  what  hints  about  Harry  ?  What  about  the 
place  ? 

What  hint  about  Harry  in,  "  Oh  !  please  play  with  us,  Harry  "  ? 
What  hint  about  Nellie  ?  What  hint  about  Harry  in,  « I'll  play 
after  we  sail  the  ship  awhile  "  ?  What  hint  about  his  mother  in  the 
next  sentence?  Give  all  the  hints  about  Harry  in  this  paragraph. 
What  hint  about  Nellie  in,  "  But  why  should  Ruth  and  I  give  up  more 
than  you  "  ?  What  hint  in  wanting  to  go  to  their  mother  ? 

What  hint  in  what  their  mother  said  to  them  ?  What  hint  about 
Harry  in  the  next  ?  What  do  you  think  of  Harry  now  ? 


62  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

QUEER   FRIENDS 

Dick  lay  on  the  rug  in  front  of  the  fire,  and  watched 
the  sparks  as  they  chased  each  other  up  the  chimney. 
Mamma  sat  near  writing  letters.  After  a  while  Dick's 
eyes  began  to  close  slowly.  Just  then  something  said, 
"  Mew  !  mew !  "  Dick  jumped  up  at  once.  He  looked 
out  of  the  door,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen. 
"  Mew  !  mew  !  "  it  said  again.  Then  he  went  to  the 
low  window  of  the  room  and  there  he  saw  a  little  black 
kitten.  He  raised  the  window  and  the  kitten  came  in 
shivering.  He  ran  to  the  kitchen  and  warmed  some 
milk  for  it.  Then  he  put  it  in  a  warm  bed  out  in  the 
woodshed. 

The  next  day  Dick  tried  to  find  the  owner,  but  he 
could  hear  of  no  one  that  had  lost  a  kitten.  So  he  kept 
it  for  his  own. 

Not  long  after  this  his  mother  found  a  mouse  in  the 
trap.  "  Oh  !  please  don't  kill  the  poor  thing,  mamma," 
said  Dick.  "  Let's  keep  him,  mamma.  I  can  tame 
him,  I  know  I  can."  He  had  heard  of  some  mice  that 
had  been  taught  to  do  funny  tricks. 

"  Squeak !  squeak  ! "  said  the  mouse,  and  that  settled  it. 

So  Dick  brought  an  empty  bird  cage,  and  put  the 
mouse  into  that  for  a  while.  It  soon  became  tame. 
It  first  learned  to  eat  from  Dick's  fingers.  Then  it 
would  come  up  on  his  hand  and  eat.  It  was  not  long 
before^  Dick  let  him  out  on  the  floor  to  play  with  him. 
The  kitty  was  then  allowed  to  come  in,  and  Dick  taught 
her  not  to  touch  the  mouse.  Before  long  the  kitty  and 
the  mouse  ate  together  from  the  same  saucer,  and  took 
naps  together  on  the  rug  before  the  fire.  But  the  fun- 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  63 

niest  thing  was  to  see  the  kitten  walking  about  with  the 
mouse  on  her  back.      That  always  made  Dick  laugh. 

—  Adapted  from  The  Nursery. 


STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  ?  What  in  the  third  ?  What 
was  it  that  Dick  heard  ?  What  hint  in  his  jumping  up  at  once  and 
looking  out  the  door  ?  What  hint  in,  " l  Mew  !  mew ! '  it  said  again  "  ? 
What  in,  "  The  kitten  came  in  shivering  "  ?  What  hint  in  the  next 
two  sentences  ? 

What  hint  in,  "  Dick  tried  to  find  the  owner  "  ? 

What  hint  in,  «  Oh  !  please  don't  kill  the  poor  thing  "?  In,  «  I 
can  tame  him,  I  know  I  can"  ?  What  did  Dick  think  the  mouse 
said  ?  What  hints  in  the  last  paragraph  ? 


UNCLE   PHIL'S   STORY 

"  Once  when  I  was  a  little  boy,"  said  Uncle  Phil, 
"  I  asked  my  mother  if  I  could  go  with  Roy  and  play 
by  the  river." 

"  Was  Roy  your  brother?  "  asked  Archie. 

"  No,  but  he  was  very  fond  of  playing  with  me.  My 
mother  said  we  might  go ;  so  we  went  and  had  a  good 
deal  of  fun. 

"  After  a  while  I  took  a  shingle  for  a  boat,  and  sailed 
it  along  the  bank.  At  last  it  got  into  deep  water,  where 
I  could  not  reach  it  with  a  stick.  Then  I  told  Roy  to 
go  and  bring  it  to  me. 

"  He  nearly  always  did  what  I  told  him,  but  this  time 
he  wouldn't.  I  began  scolding  him,  and  he  ran  toward 
home. 

"  Then  I  picked  up  a  stone  and  ran  after  him,  and 


64  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

when  I  got  near  him  he  looked  around.  I  threw  the 
stone  as  hard  as  I  could,  and  it  struck  him  just  above 
the  eye." 

"  Oh  !  Uncle  Phil,"  cried  Rob. 

"  Roy  staggered,  gave  a  little  cry,  and  lay  down  on 
the  ground.  But  I  would  not  go  to  him.  I  began  to 
wade  in  after  my  boat.  All  at  once  the  water  was 
nearly  up  to  my  shoulders,  and  I  could  not  stand  on 
my  feet.  I  screamed  as  I  went  down  the  stream,  but 
there  were  no  men  about  to  help  me.  Just  as  I  was 
going  under,  something  took  hold  of  me  and  dragged 
me  to  the  bank.  It  was  Roy." 

"What  did  you  say  to  him,  Uncle  Phil?"  asked 
Archie. 

"  I  just  threw  my  arms  about  his  neck  and  cried," 
said  Uncle  Phil. 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  He  wagged  his  tail,  and  whined  softly,  and  licked 
my  wet  face." 

"  Oh,"  said  Rob,  "  was  that  who  Roy  was  ?  " 

And  Archie  said,  "  I  see  now  why  you  are  so  kind  to 
dogs  and  other  animals,  Uncle  Phil." 

"  Yes,"  said  Uncle  Phil,  "  I  have  never  forgotten  that 
lesson,  and  I  hope  you  and  Rob  will  remember  it  too." 

—  Adapted  from  Our  Little  Ones. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  ?  What  in  the  third  ?  In  the 
fourth  ?  What  hints  in  the  next  paragraph  ?  What  hint  in,  "  He 
nearly  always  did  what  I  told  him,  but  this  time  he  wouldn't "  ? 
What  in,  «  I  began  scolding  him  "  ?  What  in,  "  He  ran  towards 
home  "  ? 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  65 

What  hint  in  the  next  sentence  ?  What  in,  "  I  threw  the  stone 
as  far  as  I  could  "  ?  What  hint  about  Rob  in,  "  Oh  !  Uncle  Phil "  ? 
What  hint  in,  "  Roy  staggered"  ?  In,  "  Gave  a  little  cry"  ?  In 
"  And  lay  down  on  the  ground  "  ?  What  in,  "  But  I  would  not  go 
to  him  "  ?  What  hint  in,  "  I  began  to  wade  in  after  my  boat "  ? 
What  hints  in  the  next  three  sentences  ? 

"  What  hint  in,  "  It  was  Roy  "  ? 

"  What  hint  in,  "  I  just  threw  my  arms  about  his  neck  and  cried  "  ? 
What  hint  in  Uncle  Phil's  next  answer  ?  What  hint  in  Rob's  saying, 
"  Oh,  was  that  who  Roy  was  "  ? 

THE   FROG   LEARNS   A   LESSON 

The  soft,  silvery  light  poured  down  upon  the  pond, 
and  the  water  was  so  bright  that  a  great  green  frog  was 
using  it  for  a  looking-glass.  He  turned  this  way  and 
that  way,  and  all  the  while  looked  at  himself  as  he  saw 
himself  reflected  by  the  water.  "  Kerchug !  kerchug !  " 
said  he.  "  What  a  nice  frog  I  am  !  I'm  not  a  bit  like 
that  little  bird  that  sits  over  in  that  tree.  I  wouldn't  be 
so  small  for  anything.  Just  see  what  a  weak  little  chirp 
it  has.  My  voice  can  be  heard  away  over  to  that  farm- 
house. I  think  I  will  sing  a  song.  Kerchug!  kerchug!" 

The  bird  was  awakened  by  the  noise,  and  seeing  how 
bright  it  was,  began  to  sing. 

"Why  he  can  sing,  too,"  said  the  frog.  "I  am  not 
sure  but  he  sings  as  well  as  I  do.  But  he  is  afraid  of 
the  water.  I  believe  I  will  take  a  dive."  He  plunged 
into  the  water  with  a  splash,  and  then  came  up  again. 
The  bird  flew  up  into  the  air,  and  kept  going  until  it 
seemed  away  up  in  the  sky.  The  frog  now  looked  at  it 
with  staring  eyes. 

"  I  can't  do  that,"  he  said.  "I  can  go  into  the  water, 
but  I  cannot  go  into  the  sky." 


66  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Then  he  looked  down  upon  the  ground  for  a  long 
time,  and  didn't  say  a  word. 

—  Adapted  from  The  Christian  Advocate. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence?  What  in  the  second?  What 
in,  "What  a  nice  frog  I  am  !  Fm  not  a  bit  like  that  little  bird"? 
In,  "  My  voice  can  be  heard  away  over  to  that  farmhouse"? 

What  hint  in  the  frog's  saying,  "  Why  he  can  sing,  too.  I  am  not 
sure  but  he  sings  as  well  as  I  do"?  What  in,  "  But  he  is  afraid  of 
the  water  "  ? 

In,  "  I  believe  I  will  take  a  dive "  ?  What  hint  in  the  frog  look- 
ing at  the  bird  with  "  staring  eyes"? 

What  hint  in  the  last  sentence  ?  Why  do  you  think  the  person 
who  wrote  this  story  called  it,  u  The  Frog  Learns  a  Lesson  "  ? 

A   WISE   BOY 

Mr.  Hill  was  busy  in  his  carpenter  shop  one  morning. 
The  door  stood  open,  and  he  heard  a  voice  outside.  He 
turned  and  saw  a  bright-faced  boy  with  a  brown  suit 
and  a  red  cap. 

"Good  morning,  my  little  man,"  said  Mr.  Hill,  "what 
can  I  do  for  you  ?  Do  you  want  a  house  or  a  bridge 
built  ? " 

"No,  sir,"  said  the  boy,  "we  have  a  house,  and  there 
is  a  bridge  across  the  creek.  If  you  don't  want  these 
shavings  under  the  bench,  please,  may  I  have  them  ? " 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them  ?  Make  a  bon- 
fire?" 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  going  to  sell  them  to  Mrs.  Clark. 
She'll  give  me  a  cent  for  a  basketful." 

"Well,  you  may  have  a  basketful,"  said  Mr.  Hill. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  67 

So  Johnny  brought  a  basket  and  picked  up  the  shav- 
ings. When  he  had  nearly  filled  the  basket,  he  saw 
something  bright  on  the  floor.  Then  he  looked  up  at 
Mr.  Hill.  He  then  quickly  put.  it  into  his  pocket,  filled 
the  basket  very  rapidly,  and  slipped  quietly  out  of  the 
house.  He  did  not  even  thank  Mr.  Hill  for  the  shav- 
ings. But  his  face  was  cloudy. 

Presently  he  stopped,  and  seemed  to  be  thinking  very 
hard  about  something.  He  took  it  out  of  his  pocket. 
It  was  a  dime.  He  had  never  in  all  his  life  before  had 
so  much  money  at  one  time.  Then  he  said  to  himself  : 
"This  money  is  not  mine.  It  is  Mr.  Hill's.  If  I  keep 
it,  I  shall  be  a  thief.  But  I  want  it  very  much,  and  Mr. 
Hill  has  plenty  more  dimes.  He  doesn't  know  it  was 
on  the  floor.  But  it  would  be  stealing.  And  what 
would  mamma  say  ?  " 

He  ran  back  to  Mr.  Hill,  and  said,  "  Here  is  a  dime 
which  I  found  there  on  the  floor." 

"  You  did,  eh  ?  "  said  Mr.  Hill.  "  Well,  it  was  honest 
to  give  it  to  me.  You'll  never  be  sorry  for  being  honest." 
Mr.  Hill  started  to  give  the  dime  back  to  Johnny,  and 
then  he  stopped,  and  thought  a  moment.  Then  he  put 
the  dime  in  his  pocket  as  he  said,  "  Well,  Johnny,  you 
may  get  a  basket  of  shavings  every  day,  if  you  want 
them." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Johnny j  and  he  went  away 
with  a  bright  face,  whistling  a  merry  tune. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence?  What  hint  in  the  door  standing 
open?  What  in,  "bright-faced  boy"?  What  hint  about  Mr.  Hill  in 
the  way  he  speaks  to  the  boy  ?  What  hints  about  the  boy  in  his 


68  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

answer?  "Make  a  bonfire  "  hints  what?  What  hint  about  the  boy 
in  the  next  sentence? 

What  about  Mrs.  Clark?  What  hint  in,  "Well,  you  may  have 
a  basketful  "?  What  hints  in  the  next  two  sentences? 

What  hint  in,  "Then  he  looked  up  at  Mr.  Hill  "?  What  hint  in 
the  next  sentence?  In  "He  did  not  even  thank  Mr.  Hill"?  In, 
"  But  his  face  was  cloudy1'?  What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  of  the 
next  paragraph?  What  in  the  next  three  sentences?  In  the  words 
he  said  to  himself,  what  hints  about  Mr.  Hill?  What  about  his 
mother?  What  about  himself?  What  hint  about  the  boy  in  what 
he  did  with  the  dime?  What  hints  about  Mr.  Hill  in  the  next 
paragraph  ? 

What  hint  in,  "  He  went  away  with  a  bright  face,  whistling  a 
merry  tune  "  ? 


A   STRANGE   CHRISTMAS    PRESENT 

It  was  a  dark  afternoon,  with  snow  on  the  ground.  It 
was  nearly  night,  too.  Everybody  had  been  busy  all 
day.  Evergreen  trees  had  been  carried  to  many  homes. 
The  store  windows  that  for  a  week  or  two  had  been 
filled  with  toys  were  now  rather  bare. 

Mr.  Lennox  was  just  turning  the  corner  near  his 
home.  There  was  his  little  five-year-old  Bertha  drag- 
ging a  little  two-year-old  baby  after  her. 

"  Where  have  you  been,  Bertha  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Oh  !  I  have  been  to  Mrs.  Brown's  after  this  baby/' 
she  said. 

"  Why,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  They  are  getting  the  Christmas  tree  ready,  and  I 
have  nothing  to  give  mamma.  I  heard  her  say  she 
would  like  something  that  all  of  us  would  enjoy,  and 
you  know  we  all  enjoy  babies.  I  shall  put  it  on  the 
Christmas  tree  for  her." 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  69 

Papa  laughed.  Then  he  said,  "  I  am  afraid,  my  little 
girl,  that  we  have  no  right  to  take  Mrs.  Brown's  baby  to 
give  to  mamma.  Is  Mrs.  Brown  willing  to  give  him 
away  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  ask  her,"  said  Bertha.  "  You  know  she  has 
seven,  and  I  heard  her  tell  mamma  she  did  not  know 
how  she  was  going  to  get  food  and  clothes  for  them  all 
now  that  Mr.  Brown  is  dead." 

Bertha's  voice  trembled,  but  she  tried  to  hide  the 
tears  that  were  in  her  eyes. 

Her  papa  looked  at  her  a  minute,  and  then  he  looked 
at  the  baby.  He  looked  at  the  pretty  round  face,  and 
the  large  blue  eyes  that  looked  right  into  his,  at  the  soft 
golden  curls  that  fell  about  the  baby's  neck,  at  the  little 
dimpled  hand  that  Bertha  held  in  her  own.  Then  he 
said,  "  I  am  afraid,  dear,  that  it  cannot  be  done,  but  we 
will  take  baby  home  with  us  now,  and  see  about  it." 

"  But  you  must  hide  him,  papa,  so  mamma  can't  see 
him  yet." 

So  the  baby  was  given  to  the  nurse  while  Mr.  Lennox 
went  back  to  see  Mrs.  Brown.  Mrs.  Brown  cried  very 
much  when  Mr.  Lennox  asked  her  if  she  would  give  the 
baby  away.  She  could  not  talk  at  first.  After  a  while 
she  told  him  he  might  have  the  baby,  but  begged  him  to 
let  him  visit  her  often,  for  a  while  at  least.  Mr.  Lennox 
told  her  that  she  might  have  the  baby  come  just  as  often 
as  she  liked.  The  tears  were  in  his  eyes,  too. 

When  the  Christmas  tree  was  lighted,  and  the  doors 
thrown  open,  there  in  front  of  it  stood  the  baby. 
Pinned  to  his  dress  was  a  card  on  which  was  written, 
"  For  mamma,  from  Bertha  and  Mrs.  Brown." 

—  Adapted  from  The  Nursery. 


70  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  ?  What  in  the  fourth  ?  In  the 
fifth  ?  What  hint  in,  "  Papa  laughed  "  ?  In  the  paragraph  begin- 
ning, "  I  did  not  ask  her,"  what  hint  about  Bertha  ?  What  about 
Mrs.  Brown  ?  What  hint  in,  "  Bertha's  voice  trembled  "  ?  In,  "  But 
she  tried  to  hide  the  tears"  ?  What  hints  in  the  next  sentence  ? 
In  the  next  ?  What  hint  in,  "  You  must  hide  him  "  ?  What  hint 
in,  «  Mrs.  Brown  cried,"  etc.  ?  In,  "  Could  not  talk  at  first  "  ?  What 
hint  about  Mr.  Brown  in,  "  Tears  were  in  his  eyes,  too  "  ? 


THE   SUGAR   THIEF 

Nan  often  helped  herself  to  sugar  without  being  asked. 

"  Dear  me,"  said  mamma,  "  this  must  be  stopped,  or 
Nan  will  be  ill."  So  she  called  Nan  to  her  and  said, 
"  Now,  Nan,  you  must  not  take  any  more  sugar  without 
asking.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mamma,"  said  Nan. 

That  evening  there  was  company  for  supper.  Nan  sat 
beside  a  gentleman  whom  she  liked  very  much.  He  had 
been  telling  her  a  funny  story,  and  had  passed  things 
to  her  just  as  if  she  were  a  grown  lady.  But  now  he 
was  talking  to  her  sister  Kate.  Just  then  Nan's  mamma 
passed  her  some  "  cambric  tea."  Nan  tasted  it,  and 
then  looked  at  the  sugar  bowl.  Her  face  was  cloudy. 
But  presently  it  grew  brighter.  She  slipped  her  hand 
into  her  apron  pocket.  When  it  came  out  there  was  a 
lump  of  sugar  in  her  fingers.  She  was  so  busy  that  she 
did  not  notice  anybody  else.  She  put  her  hand  into  her 
pocket  seven  times,  and,  after  each  time,  she  dropped 
a  lump  into  her  tea. 

"  Why,  Nan  !  "     Nan  looked  up  and  turned  very  red 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  71 

in  the  face.  Everybody  at  the  table  was  looking  at  her. 
The  gentleman  whom  she  liked  so  well  held  his  napkin 
to  his  mouth  for  some  time. 

The  next  morning  her  mamma  came  to  her  with  a 
large  piece  of  cardboard.  On  it  was  printed,  "  Sugar 
thief."  The  letters  were  very  large. 

"  What  is  it  for,  mamma  ? "  said  Nan,  in  a  shaky 
voice. 

"  For  this,"  said  mamma,  as  she  turned  Nan  around 
and  pinned  it  on  her  back. 

"  Now  you  must  wear  this  all  day,"  her  mamma  said. 
"  Go  out  and  play  now." 

"  Must  I  go  out,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Not  unless  you  want  to,"  said  her  mother. 

"  May  I  stay  in  the  room  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  if  you  choose." 

And  so  all  that  day  Nan  stayed  in  her  room,  and 
when  at  night  her  mamma  came  to  take  off  the  card- 
board, Nan  told  her  that  she  never,  never  would  take 
sugar  any  more  without  asking. 

—  Adapted  from  Our  Little  Men  and  Women. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in,  "  Nan  often  helped  herself  to  sugar  without  being 
asked  "  ?  In  the  second  sentence  what  hint  about  Nan  ?  What 
about  her  mother  ?  What  hints  in  what  her  mother  says  to  her  ? 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  of  the  long  paragraph  ?  What 
hint  in  the  third  ?  What  hint  in  her  mother  passing  her  some 
"  cambric  tea  "  ?  What  in,  "  Nan  tasted  it,  and  then  looked  at  the 
sugar  bowl  "  ?  In,  "  Her  face  was  cloudy  "  ?  In,  "  But  presently  it 
grew  brighter  "  ?  In,  "  She  slipped  her  hand  into  her  apron  pocket "  ? 
In  the  next  sentence  ?  In,  "  She  was  so  busy  that  she  did  not  notice 
anybody  else  "  ?  In  the  next  ?  "  Why,  Nan  !  "  hints  what  ?  What 


72  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

hint  in,  "  Turned  very  red  "  ?  What  hint  in,  "The  gentleman  whom 
she  liked  so  well  held  his  napkin  to  his  mouth  for  some  time  "  ? 
Was  it  because  she  had  taken  the  sugar  ? 

What  hint  in  :he  next  paragraph  ?  What  hint  in,  "  A  shaky 
voice  "  ?  What  hints  in  what  her  mother  says  to  her  in  the  next 
two  sentences  ?  What  hint  in,  "  Must  I  go  out,  mamma  "  ?  In, 
"Not  unless  you  want  to"?  In,  "May  I  stay  in  the  room"? 

What  hint  in  the  last  paragraph  ? 


WHO   GOT   THE   NUTS? 

"Yes,"  said  Tom,  "it's  about  time  to  gather  our  nuts. 
I'm  glad  we  found  this  tree.  It's  too  late  to  get  them 
to-day,  but  let's  come  here  next  Saturday." 

"All  right,"  said  Harry.  "I  don't  believe  any  one 
else  knows  about  this  tree.  Just  see  the  nuts  on  the 
tree  and  on  the  ground.  What  a  lot !  "  And  off  they 
went  through  the  woods  toward  home. 

But  some  one  else  did  know  about  that  tree.  From  a 
hole  in  its  trunk  four  bright  eyes  had  been  peeping,  and 
four  ears  had  been  hearing  what  was  said. 

"  So  they  think  they'll  get  them  all,"  said  Father 
Squirrel.  "  Well,  we'll  see,  my  dear.  Now  you  just 
keep  on  gathering  nuts  as  fast  as  possible,  while  I  run 
and  tell  our  friends  and  neighbors  to  come  as  soon  as 
they  can."  And  down  he  jumped  from  limb  to  limb, 
and  away  he  scampered  through  the  woods,  while  Mrs. 
Squirrel  kept  busily  at  work  filling  her  cheeks  with  nuts 
until  one  would  think  she  had  the  mumps.  Then  she 
would  run  up  the  tree  to  hide  the  nuts. 

That  night  there  was  a  heavy  frost,  and  many  nuts 
fell  to  the  ground.  The  next  day  a  number  of  squirrels 
came,  and  they  worked  hard  for  several  days.  How 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  73 

they  chattered  as  they  frisked  about,  and  how  happy 
they  all  seemed  as  they  worked  away. 

When  Saturday  came,  there  were  the  boys,  each  with 
a  bag. 

"  I  shall  keep  my  nuts  till  Thanksgiving,"  said  Harry. 

"  I  mean  to  get  enough  to  last  all  winter,"  said  Tom. 
"  We  can  if  we  find  a  few  more  trees  like  this  one." 

"  I  shall  give  half  of  mine  to  my  sister  Rose,"  said 
Harry,  "for  she  makes  nice  nut  candy." 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  Tom.  "  Now  for  work.  I  hope 
these  bags  are  big  enough  to  hold  them  all." 

"There  are  not  many  left  on  the  tree,"  said  Harry. 
"  You  know  there  has  been  a  heavy  frost  since  we  were 
here.  But  the  ground  will  be  covered  with  them." 

"  Some  one  must  have  been  here,"  Tom  said.  "  Did 
you  tell  our  secret  to  anybody  ? " 

"  No,  indeed.    But  some  one  has  surely  found  it  out." 

Up  in  the  tree  were  the  two  squirrels  looking  down 
on  the  boys  again. 

"The  squirrels  may  have  taken  some,"  said  Harry, 
"but  they  couldn't  carry  off  very  many." 

"  Couldn't  they  ?  "  whispered  Mr.  Squirrel  to  his  wife  ; 
and  they  laughed  so  they  had  to  creep  out  of  sight  in 
the  hole  lest  the  two  boys  should  hear  them. 

—  From  The  Normal  Instructor. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  ?  What  in,  "  I'm  glad  we  found 
this  tree  "  ?  What  in,  "  It's  too  late  to  get  them  to-day  "  ?  What 
hint  in  the  next  sentence  ?  What  hints  in  the  next  paragraph  ? 
What  is  meant  by  the  four  bright  eyes  and  four  ears  ?  What  hint 
in,  "  So  they  think  they'll  get  them  all  "  ?  What  hints  about  Father 
Squirrel  in  the  next  two  sentences  ?  Can  you  find  a  hint  about  Mrs. 


74  LESSONS    IN   ENGLISH 

Squirrel  in  the  next?     What  hint  about  the  squirrels  in  the  next 
paragraph  ? 

What  hint  about  Harry  in,  "  I  shall  keep  my  nuts  till  Thanks- 
giving"? What  hint  about  Torn  in  the  next?  What  hint  about  the 
tree?  Find  a  hint  about  Harry  in  the  next.  What  hint  in,  "  I  hope 
these  bags  are  big  enough  to  hold  them  all"?  What  hint  in, 
"  Some  one  must  have  been  here  "?  In,  "  Did  you  tell  anybody  "  ? 
What  hint  in,  "  But  some  one  has  surely  found  it  out "?  What  hint 
in  what  Harry  next  says?  What  in  the  last  sentence? 

DIVIDING 

A  ragged  boy  sat  down  on  a  doorstep  and  began  to 
eat  a  slice  of  bread.  He  took  large  bites,  chewed 
rapidly,  and  swallowed  without  chewing  well.  He 
had  only  started  his  meal,  when  a  little  dog  came  up, 
wagged  his  tail,  and  crouched  down  beside  him. 

"Wot  you  want ?  "  said  the  boy. 

The  dog  looked  wistfully  and  whined. 

"  This  ain't  no  bone ;  git !  "   . 

But  he  had  not  spoken  crossly,  and  the  dog  stayed. 

"  Do  you  want  this  wuss  nor  I  do  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 

The  dog  gave  a  quick  bark,  and  the  boy  threw  him 
the  remainder  of  the  bread.  —Adapted  from  The  Olive  Leaf. 

Teacher.  "  A  ragged  boy  sat  down  on  a  doorstep,  and  began  to 
eat  a  slice  of  bread." 

"  Does  it  tell  the  kind  of  person,  how  somebody  feels,  or  the  con- 
dition of  somebody  ?  " 

Pupil.    "  It  tells  the  condition  of  somebody. " 

Teacher.     "  What  was  his  condition  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  He  is  poor.11  "  He  is  hungry.11  "  He  has  no  place  to 
go  but  the  doorstep." 

Teacher.  "  *  He  took  large  bites,  chewed  rapidly,  and  swallowed 
without  chewing  well,1  tells  what?1' 

Pupil.     u  How  somebody  feels." 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  75 

Teacher.     "  How  does  he  feel? " 

Pupils.  "He's  awful  hungry."  "  He  hadn't  had  anything  for 
a  long  while,  and  so  he  ate  greedily.'1 

Teacher.  "  He  had  only  started  his  meal,  when  a  little  dog  came 
up,  wagged  his  tail,  and  crouched  down  beside  him." 

"That  tells  what?" 

Pupil.     "  How  the  dog  feels." 

Teacher.     "  How  does  he  feel?  " 

Pupils.  "The  dog  feels  hungry  for  the  bread."  "He  was 
hungry,  and  went  up  and  laid  down  beside  the  boy,  wishing  the 
boy  would  give  him  some." 

Teacher.     "  <  Wot  you  want? '  said  the  boy." 

"  Now,  what  does  that  tell  ?  " 

Pupils.  "  Tells  the  condition  of  the  boy."  "  Tells  something 
about  the  boy." 

Teacher.     "  What  does  it  tell  about  the  boy  ? " 

Pupils.  "  He  doesn't  talk  plain."  "  No  one  has  taught  him  to 
talk  nicely."  "  He  doesn't  know  any  better."  "  He  had  his  mouth 
so  full  he  couldn't  talk  plain." 

Teacher.     "  The  dog  looked  wistfully  and  whined." 

"What  does  that  tell?" 

Pupil.     "  It  tells  how  the  dog  feels." 

Teacher.     "  How  does  he  feel  ? " 

Ptipils.  "  He  was  hungry."  "  He  saw  the  bread,  and  wished 
the  boy  would  give  him  some."  "  He  cried  for  something  to  eat." 
"  His  whining  said,  '  Please  give  me  a  little  bit  of  bread.'  " 

Teacher.     "  This  ain't  no  bone  ;  git!  " 

"What  does  that  tell?" 

Pupil.     "  It  tells  something  about  the  boy." 

Teacher.     "  What  does  it  tell  about  him?  " 

Pupils.  "  No  one  taught  him  to  talk  right."  "  He  was  too  poor 
to  go  to  school."  "He  had  no  one  to  take  care  of  him."  "He 
was  so  hungry  he  wanted  it  all." 

Teacher.     "But  he  had  not  spoken  crossly,  and  the  dog  stayed." 

"  Does  that  tell  the  kind  of  person,  how  some  one  feels,  or  that 
something  has  happened,  or  some  condition?  " 

Pupils.  "It  tells  two  things."  "It  tells  what  kind  of  a  boy." 
"  It  tells  more  about  how  the  dog  felt." 


;6  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Teacher.     "  What  does  it  tell  about  the  boy  ? " 

Pupils.     "  He's  not  cross."     "  He's  kind  to  the  dog." 

Teacher.     "  What  does  it  tell  about  the  dog? " 

Pupils.  "  He's  so  hungry."  "  He's  so  hungry  he  could  eat  the 
bread  instead  of  the  bone." 

Teacher.     "  Do  you  want  this  wuss  nor  I  do  ?  " 

"What  does  that  tell?" 

Pupil.     "  It  tells  something  about  the  boy." 

Teacher.     "  What  does  it  tell  about  him  ? " 

Pupils.  "The  boy  wanted  it  pretty  bad."  "He  wants  to  see 
who  wants  it  worst."  "  He  thought  he  ought  to  give  him  some." 

Teacher.     "  The  dog  gave  a  quick  bark." 

"What  does  that  tell?" 

Pupil.     "  It  tells  how  the  dog  felt." 

Teacher.     "  What  does  it  tell  about  how  the  dog  feels?" 

Pupils.  "  The  dog  was  hungry."  "  He  was  hungry  and  wanted 
it."  "  He  wanted  it,  and  thought  the  boy  would  understand,  and 
would  give  him  some." 

Teacher.     "The  boy  threw  him  the  remainder  of  the  bread." 

"  Does  that  tell  you  the  kind  of  boy,  how  some  one  feels,  or  some- 
thing about  some  one? " 

Pupil.     "  It  tells  the  kind  of  boy." 

Teacher.     "  What  kind  of  boy  was  he?  " 

Pupil.     "  He  was  good,  kind,  and  free-hearted." 

Teacher.     "What  kind  of  a  friend  would  he  be?" 

Pupils.     "  Kind."     "  He  would  be  unselfish." 


DAVIE   AND    MAY 

Mrs.  Lee  had  been  out  all  day  ironing  for  some  rich 
people.  She  was  just  opening  the  door  of  her  home. 
It  was  not  a  pretty  room.  It  had  no  carpet  on  the 
floor,  and  no  pictures  on  the  wall.  But  side  by  side  sat 
Davie  and  May  on  the  little  wooden  bench.  Davie's 
arm  was  around  his  sister's  neck,  and  he  was  reading  to 
her. 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  77 

When  his  mother  came,  Davie  ran  to  bring  her  a 
chair,  and  May  ran  to  show  her  the  book,  saying,  "  Oh ! 
mamma,  see  what  a  pretty  book  Mrs.  Turner  gave  us 
for  carrying  the  clothes  home  so  carefully.  She  said 
not  one  garment  was  crumpled." 

Mrs.  Lee  sat  down  to  rest,  and  to  look  at  the  book. 
Then  she  said,  "  I  am  very  glad  to  have  such  good 
children.  It  is  better  than  being  rich  and  having  a  fine 

house." 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence?  Does  it  tell  something  has  hap- 
pened, or  how  some  one  feels,  or  the  kind  of  person,  or  some  condi- 
tion of  a  person? 

"  She  was  just  opening  the  door  of  her  home."  What  does  that 
tell?  What  hint  in  the  third  sentence?  What  hint  in,  "It  had  no 
carpet  on  the  floor,  and  no  pictures  on  the  wall "?  What  kind  of  a 
hint?  How  does  this  hint  differ  from  the  one  in,  "It  was  not  a 
pretty  room  "  ? 

What  hint  in  the  next  sentence?  What  kind  of  a  hint  is  it? 
"  Davie's  arm  was  around  his  sister's  neck,  and  he  was  reading  to 
her."  What  hint  about  Davie?  What  hint  about  May?  Can  you 
tell  the  kind  in  each  case? 

"  When  his  mother  came,  Davie  ran  to  bring  her  a  chair." 
What  hints?  Does  it  tell  how  he  felt  or  the  kind  of  boy  he  was? 
What  hints  about  May  and  Mrs.  Turner  in  the  remainder  of  the 
sentence?  What  kind  of  hints  are  they? 

What  hint  in,  "  She  said  not  one  garment  was  crumpled"? 

What  does  the  next  sentence  tell  ? 

What  hints  in  the  last  two  sentences?     What  kind? 

JIM,  THE   BOOTBLACK 

Jim  was  a  little  bootblack  who  took  care  of  his  mother 
and  sister.  He  wanted  to  buy  a  cake  for  them,  for  it 
was  Christmas  Eve.  All  day  he  tried  to  get  work,  and 


78  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

had  had  nothing  to  eat.  When  night  came  he  fell  in 
the  snow.  A  lady  picked  him  up.  She  looked  at  his 
face,  then  put  a  dollar  in  his  hand. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in,  "Jim  was  a  little  bootblack"?  What  does  it  tell  of 
Jim?  What  kind  of  a  hint  is  it  then?  What  hint  in  the  remain- 
der of  the  sentence?  Does  this  tell  the  same  thing  of  Jim  that  the 
first  part  did?  What  does  it  tell?  What  kind  of  hint  is  it?  What 
hint  in  the  second  sentence?  What  kind?  "All  day  he  tried 
to  get  work."  What  hints  in  that?  What  kind?  What  hint  in, 
"And  had  had  nothing  to  eat"?  What  hint  have  we  had  that 
this  makes  stronger?  "When  night  came  he  fell  in  the  snow." 
What  hint?  Why  did  he  fall?  What  kind  of  a  hint  is  it?  What 
hint  in,  "A  lady  picked  him  up"?  What  kind?  What  hint  in, 
"  She  looked  at  his  face"?  Why  did  she  do  that?  What  kind  of 
hint  is  it?  What  hint  in  the  remainder  of  the  sentence?  What 
kind?  Can  you  see  a  hint  about  Jim  in  that?  What  is  it? 


A    LITTLE    BOY'S   VICTORY 

Teddie's  mother  had  left  a  basket  of  fine,  ripe  pears 
on  the  table,  and  had  told  him  not  to  take  any. 

Teddie  got  a  stool  a-nd  stood  on  it.  The  pears  looked 
so  nice !  Then  he  smelled  one,  and  his  mouth  watered. 
He  said,  "  Mamma  will  not  miss  it  if  I  take  just  one." 
But  in  a  minute  he  took  his  hand  away  from  the  nicest 
one  in  the  basket  and  said,  "  No,  I  will  not.  I  will 
just  get  down  and  run  into  the  other  room  as  fast  as  I 
can  and  stay  there  until  mamma  comes  back." 

When  his  mamma  came  back  she  looked  at  the  stool 
and  at  the  basket,  and  a  smile  came  to  her  face.  She 
then  took  a  pear  and  gave  it  to  him. 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  79 

STUDIES 

Which  of  these  things  does  the  hint  in  the  first  sentence  tell? 

The  kind  of  person. 

How  somebody  feels. 

A  state  or  condition. 

That  something  has  happened. 

Where  something  happened. 

When  something  happened. 
What  is  the  hint?    When  did  it  happen? 

What  hint  in,  "  Teddie  got  a  stool  and  stood  on  it "?  What  does 
that  kind  of  hint  tell?  What  hint  in  the  next  two  sentences? 
What  kind?  What  hint  in  his  saying,  "Mamma  will  not  miss  it  if 
I  take  just  one  "  ?  What  kind  is  it  ?  What  do  you  think  of  Teddie  ? 
What  hint  in,  "  But  in  a  minute  he  took  his  hand  away  from  the 
nicest  one  in  the  basket  and  said,  ;No,  I  will  not'"?  What  kind? 
What  hints  in  the  next  sentence?  What  kind?  Now,  what  do  you 
think  of  Teddie?  Do  you  like  him  more  or  less  for  having  thought 
badly  of  him  at  first  ? 

"  When  his  mamma  came  back  she  looked  at  the  stool  and  at  the 
basket,"  hints  what?  What  kind  is  it?  What  hint  in,  "A  smile 
came  to  her  face  "  ?  Why  did  she  smile  ?  Be  careful  to  get  all  of 
the  hint.  What  hint  in  the  last  sentence ?  What  kind  is  it? 

JOE 

Joe  had  to  drive  the  cow  to  pasture  every  morning ; 
he  had  to  bring  in  the  wood  and  water ;  three  times 
a  week  he  had  to  churn ;  he  had  to  feed  the  pigs  and 
chickens,  and  run  upon  errands. 

Joe's  parents  had  died  when  he  was  a  baby,  and  he 
had  been  put  in  the  poorhouse.  Farmer  Smith  had 
taken  him  to  raise.  He  wanted  him  to  do  chores  and 
run  upon  errands. 

Joe  got  up  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  worked 
till  eight,  for  he  could  not  go  to  school  until  all  the  work 


8o  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

was  done.  Sometimes  he  hurried  off  without  eating  his 
breakfast,  for  he  would  not  be  late.  Sometimes  he  ate 
his  dinner  as  he  did  the  errands. 

The  boys  and  girls  all  liked  Joe.  They  used  to  give 
him  a  part  of  their  dinners,  and  they  divided  their 
apples  with  him.  He  always  had  his  lessons.  He 
never  was  idle  nor  noisy  in  school. 

Joe  is  a  man  now.  I  went  the  other  day  to  hear  him 
preach.  He  inquired  about  everybody  around  his  old 
home.  When  he  spoke  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith,  I  asked 
if  he  ever  felt  hard  toward  them.  "  No,  indeed,"  said 
he,  "  they  did  not  mean  to  be  unkind,  and  they  made 
me  learn  how  to  work  hard.  There  are  so  many  things 
to  be  thankful  for,  that  I  forgot  the  unpleasant  things. 
And  I  am  laying  aside  a  little  every  day  to  help  poor 
boys  along."  And  I  noticed  as  we  walked  down  the 
street,  that  he  spoke  to  every  boy  he  met,  and  every 
boy  spoke  to  him. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence?  What  kind  of  hint  is  it?  Does 
it  tell  the  kind  of  person,  how  some  one  feels,  that  something  has 
happened,  or  some  state  or  condition? 

What  hint  in,  "and  he  had  been  put  in  the  poorhouse  "?  What 
kind?  "Farmer  Smith  had  taken  him  to  raise."  What  hint? 
What  kind  of  hint  is  it?  "  They  wanted  him  to  do  chores  and  run 
upon  errands."  What  hint?  Do  you  think  the  same  of  Farmer 
Smith  now  as  you  did  in  the  last  sentence?  Why? 

In  the  next  sentence,  what  hint  about  Joe?  What  hint  about 
the  people  he  lived  with?  What  kind  of  hint  is  each? 

"  Sometimes  he  ate  his  dinner  as  he  did  the  errands."  What 
hint  in  that?  What  hint  that  we  have  had  does  this  make  stronger? 

In  the  next  four  sentences  what  kind  of  hints?  What  kind  of 
a  boy  do  they  tell  you  Joe  was? 

What  hint  in  the  next  two  sentences?     What  kind  of  a  hint? 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  81 

What  hint  in,  "  He  inquired  about  everybody  around  his  old  home  "? 
What  hint  in  what  he  said  about  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith?  What  hints 
in,  "  I  am  laying  aside  a  little  every  day  to  help  poor  boys  along  "  ? 
What  do  these  last  hints  tell? 

What  hints  in  the  last  sentence  ?     What  kind  of  a  boy  was  Joe  ? 
What  kind  of  a  man  was  he? 


FUN    FOR   TWO 

"  I  don't  want  to  study  my  lesson,"  said  Robbie. 

"I  don't  either,"  said  Ned;  "I'd  a  great  deal  rather 
go  out  into  the  woods.  But  I  believe  I'll  study." 

So  Ned  sat  down  with  his  book.  But  Robbie  idled 
the  time  away,  and  did  not  even  open  his  book. 

"You  had  better  learn  your  lesson,"  said  Ned. 

"  It's  too  hard,"  said  Robbie. 

"  It  isn't  hard  when  you  just  make  up  your  mind,  and 
pitch  into  it,"  said  Ned. 

After  a  while  Ned  jumped  up,  and  said,  "  I  know  my 
lesson."  Robbie  had  just  begun  his.  Just  then  their 
father  came  into  the  room,  and  said,  "  I  have  come  to 
see  if  two  little  boys  have  their  lessons,  and  if  so,  to  take 
them  with  me  in  the  sleigh." 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!"  cried  Ned;  "I  have  mine." 
And  he  danced  all  around  the  room. 

"Oh,  papa,  can't  you  wait  just  a  little  while?"  said 
Robbie.  His  father  looked  doubtful.  Then  Robbie's 
eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  said,  "  If  you  will,  I  will  not 
idle  again  when  I  have  my  lesson  to  get." 

Ned  had  stopped  dancing,  and  was  now  looking  very 
sober.  When  he  saw  'his  father  hesitate  he  said, 
"  Please  wait,  papa,  and  I  will  help  him  with  it." 

Then  his  father  said,  "  I  will  wait  just  twenty  minutes, 


82  LESSONS   IN   ENGLISH 

and  I  will  do  it  for  Ned's  sake ;  but  Robbie  must  get  his 
lesson  by  himself." 

Robbie's  face  brightened,  and  he  set  to  work  busily. 
In  twenty  minutes  he  was  ready,  and  the  two  boys  went 
off  shouting,  and  swinging  their  caps. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  about  Robbie  in  the  first  sentence?  What  hint  about 
Ned  in  the  second?  What  do  those  hints  tell? 

What  hint  in,  "<  You  had  better  learn  your  lesson,'  said  Ned"? 
"'It's  too  hard,'  said  Robbie."  What  does  that  tell  about  him? 
What  hint  in  the  next  sentence?  What  hint  about  Ned  have  we 
already  had  which  this  hint  makes  stronger?  What  hint  in,  "  After 
a  while  Ned  jumped  up,  and  said,  i I  know  mine'"?  What  kind  of 
a  hint  is  it  ? 

What  hint  in  what  their  father  said?     What  kind? 

"  '  Hurrah,  hurrah,'  cried  Ned  ;  *  I  have  mine.'  And  he  danced 
all  around  the  room."  What  does  that  kind  of  a  hint  tell?  What 
is  the  hint? 

What  hint  in  the  next  sentence?  What  hint  in,  "His  father 
looked  doubtful"?  What  kind?  In  the  next  sentence  what  does 
the  hint  tell?  What  is  the  hint? 

What  hint  about  Ned  in  the  next  two  sentences?     What  kind? 

Why  did  his  father  say,  "for  Ned's  sake"?  Why,  "but 
Robbie  must  get  it  for  himself"?  What  kind  of  hints  are  they? 
Why? 

What  hint  in,  "  Robbie's  face  brightened"?  What  kind  of  a  hint 
in  the  last  sentence?  What  is  the  hint? 

Are  Robbie  and  Ned  alike?     Tell  what  hints  make  you  think  so. 

HOW   FRED   OBEYED    MAMMA 

Fred  was  out  in  the  woodshed  making  a  boat.  After 
mamma  had  called  him  three  times,  he  came  to  see 
what  she  wanted. 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  83 

"Take  this  bucket,"  she  said,  "  and  your  own  hoe, 
and  go  and  get  me  some  potatoes  for  dinner." 

"  Oh,  mamma,"  he  whined,  "  why  can't  Silas  do  it  ?  " 

"  Never  mind  why,"  answered  his  mother,  "it  is 
enough  that  I  ask  you  to  do  it.  I  know  you  can,  so 
run  on." 

Fred  ran  on,  but  he  was  thinking  about  the  boat,  and 
not  about  the  potatoes. 

On  the  way  to  the  field  was  a  nice  sandy  place  where 
Fred  liked  to  play.  "Let  me  see,"  said  he,  "shall  I 
make  my  boat  like  Jem  Barton's  ?  "  And  down  he  went 
on  the  warm  sand.  The  bucket  rolled  over  on  its  side. 
Fred  pushed  his  hat  over  his  curly  hair,  leaned  his 
round  cheeks  on  his  chubby  hands,  and  went  on  think- 
ing, but  not  about  the  potatoes. 

At  last  Fred  said  out  aloud,  "  I  suppose  I  must  get 
those  old  potatoes  now."  He  filled  the  bucket  half  full, 
and  started  back  to  the  house. 

"  Here  they  are,"  he  called  out,  coming  into  the 
kitchen.  "Are  these  enough  ?  " 

His  mother  looked  at  him  with  a  sober  face,  and  then 
said,  "  Yes,  plenty ;  but  they  are  too  late  for  dinner. 
You  may  eat  your  dinner  now,  and  when  you  are  through 
you  may  go  into  the  next  room  and  stay  for  an  hour  to 
think  about  what  you  have  done." 

Fred  went  to  the  table,  and  found  some  bread  and 
butter,  and  some  water.  He  looked  at  his  mother  in 
surprise.  "  Oh,  I  thought  I  would  rather  read  than  get 
you  a  good  dinner,"  she  said. 

After  a  moment  Fred  hung  his  head  and  walked 
slowly  back  to  the  woodshed. 


84  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

STUDIES 

What  hints  in  the  first  two  sentences?  What  kind  of  hints  are 
they?  What  hint  in  "whined"?  In  Fred's  question?  What  kind 
is  each?  What  kind  of  hint  in  the  next  sentence?  What  does  it 
tell  you  of  the  mother? 

Find  the  hints  in  the  paragraph  beginning,  "  On  the  way  to  the 
field."  Tell  the  kind  of  each. 

What  hint  in,  "I  suppose  I  must  get  those  old  potatoes  now"? 
Why  did  he  say  «  old  "?  What  kind  of  a  hint  is  it?  «  He  filled  the 
bucket  half  full."  What  does  that  tell?  Then  what  kind  of  a  hint 
is  it  ?  What  hint  in,  "  Are  these  enough  "  ? 

What  hints  in  his  mother's  answer?  What  kinds  are  they? 
What  did  Fred  find  on  the  table  ?  Why  was  it  there ?  What  hints ? 
What  hint  in,  "  He  looked  at  his  mother  in  surprise  "?  What  kind 
of  hint  is  it?  Why  did  his  mother  answer  as  she  did?  Any  hint  in 
the  answer? 

What  hint  in  the  last  sentence?     What  kind? 

What  kind  of  boy  was  Fred?  What  makes  you  think  so?  Tell 
about  his  mother. 

A   LITTLE   CHRISTIAN 

"  Don't  you  just  despise  girls  that  wear  old  dresses 
with  holes  in  them  ?  "  said  Ellie  to  Katie  in  a  loud  voice. 
They  were  playing  under  the  shady  trees  next  to  the 
stone  wall  that  separated  Ellie's  yard  from  Lotty 
Dame's.  Lotty  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall,  and 
Ellie  knew  it.  It  was  Lotty  who  was  wearing  just  such 
a  dress. 

"Yes,"  said  Katie,  "and  her  father  isn't  worth  more 
than  a  hundred  dollars,  anyway.  And  they  live  in  the 
worst  old  house !  All  the  windows  are  pasted  up  with 
paper  or  something  !  And —  " 

Just  then  a  face  rose  up  like  a  little  white  moon  on 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  85 

the  other  side  of  the  wall.  It  looked  at  them  a  minute, 
then  the  little  mouth  quivered,  two  tears  rolled  down  the 
cheeks,  and  the  face  was  gone. 

"It's  a  pretty  house!"  sobbed  Lotty,  running  home 
as  fast  as  she  could.  "  It's  all  covered  with  roses  and 
red  trumpet-flowers  and  syringas  and  lilacs.  And  there 
are  only  two  or  three  broken  windowpanes,  and  there 
would  not  be  any  if  papa  hadn't  been  sick  so  long ! " 

Lotty  told  her  mother  the  whole  thing.  "  Oh  !  well," 
said  her  mother,  patting  her  hair,  "all  you've  to  do  is  to 
be  a  Christian,  and  never  mind  them.  Take  the  baby 
now,  and  go  out  and  get  some  roses  and  other  flowers 
to  take  to  school  with  you  to-morrow  morning.  Yes, 
yes,  to  give  to  those  girls,  with  the  rest.  Don't  make 
any  difference.  No  matter  what  they  are,  you  just  be 
a  little  Christian."—  Adapted  from  The  Little  Pilgrim. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  question  in  the  first  sentence?  What  in  Ellie's 
asking  it  in  a  loud  voice?  What  kind  are  they?  What  hint  in  the 
next  sentence?  What  kind  of  hint  is  it?  What  hint  concerning 
Ellie  in,  "  Lotty  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall,  and  Ellie  knew 
it"?  What  kind  is  it?  What  hints  about  Lotty  in  the  next  sen- 
tence? What  kind? 

In  the  next  paragraph  what  hint  about  Katie?  What  about 
Lotty's  people?  What  kind  is  each?  What  hint  in  the  unfinished 
sentence,  "And —  "  ? 

What  hint  in  the  next  sentence?  What  kind  ?  In  the  remainder 
of  the  paragraph,  what  hints?  What  kind?  "  <  It's  a  pretty  house,' 
sobbed  Lotty,1'  hints  what?  Why  "Running  home  as  fast  as  she 
could"?  What  hint?  In  the  next  two  sentences  what  hints  at>out 
the  home?  What  about  Lotty 's  father?  What  kind  is  each? 

What  hint  in,  "  Lotty  told  her  mother  the  whole  thing"?  What 
kind  ?  What  in,  «  Patting  her  hair  "  ?  What  hints  of  her  mother  in 


86  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

the  remainder  of  the  paragraph?     What  kind?    Which  of  the  three 
girls  would  you  rather  have  for  a  friend  ?     Why  ? 

WHAT   THE   BROOK   SAW 

It  saw  Tommy  slyly  creeping  through  the  fence  into 
the  watermelon  patch.  It  saw  him  sit  down  beside  a 
fine  watermelon. 

It  saw  him  take  out  his  knife  and  cut  the  melon. 

It  saw  him  eat  and  eat,  until  nothing  was  left  of  the 
fine  watermelon  except  the  rind. 

It  heard  him  say,  "  What  shall  I  do  with  this  rind  ? 
Papa  told  me  not  to  touch  the  watermelons.  I  will 
throw  it  into  the  brook." 

The  brook  was  sad,  although  it  did  what  Tommy 
wanted  it  to  do. 

The  next  day  the  brook  saw  Tommy  and  his  father 
coming  toward  the  watermelon  patch.  They  were 
walking  hand  in  hand. 

It  heard  Tommy  tell  his  father  how  naughty  he  had 
been. 

Then  the  brook  sparkled  and  danced  on  its  way,  and 
sang  as  it  went  along,  "  I'm  glad  !  I'm  glad  !  " 

—  Adapted  from  Little  Men  and  Women. 

STUDIES 

In  the  first  sentence,  what  hint  in  "  slyly  creeping  "  ?  Can  you  tell 
the  kind  of  hint?  What  hint  in,  "  It  saw  him  sit  down  beside  a  fine 
watermelon"  ?  What  kind  is  it?  In  the  next  two  sentences,  what 
hints?  What  kind?  What  hints  in,  "What  shall  I  do  with  this 
rind"?  What  hint  in,  "Papa  told  me  not  to  touch  the  water- 
melons"? What  in,  "I  will  throw  it  into  the  brook"?  What  do 
these  hints  tell  you  of  Tommy?  Then  what  kind  of  hints  are  they? 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  87 

What  hint  in,  "  The  brook  was  sad  "  ?  How  did  the  brook  feel  ? 
What  kind  of  hint  is  it  then? 

What  hints  in  what  the  brook  saw  the  next  day  ?  What  kind  is 
each?  What  hint  in,  "  It  heard  Tommy  tell  his  father  how  naughty 
he  had  been  "?  What  kind  of  hint  is  it? 

What  hint  in,  "Then  the  brook  sparkled  and  danced  on  its 
way"?  Why  did  it  ?  What  kind  of  hint  is  it  then?  The  brook 
sang  too.  What  do  you  think  it  sang  ?  What  hint  in  its  sing- 
ing, "  Tm  glad !  Pm  glad "  ?  Why  did  the  brook  care,  do  you 
think? 

STINGY   DAVY 

Davy  was  a  little  boy  with  light  curly  hair,  dark  blue 
eyes,  and  bright  rosy  cheeks.  But  whenever  he  got 
anything  good  to  eat  he  did  not  share  it  with  his  brothers 
and  sisters. 

One  day  he  went  into  the  kitchen,  where  his  mother 
was  at  work,  and  saw  a  saucer  of  jelly  on  the  table. 

"  May  I  have  that  jelly  ?  "  asked  Davy. 

"  Mrs.  White  just  sent  it  over  to  me,"  said  his  mother, 
"but  you  may  have  it  if  you  will  not  be  stingy." 

He  took  the  saucer  and  went  out  into  the  yard.  He 
looked  around  just  a  little  bit  and  did  not  see  any  of 
the  children,  then  he  very  quietly  slipped  into  the  barn 
and  up  into  the  hayloft.  Just  as  he  began  to  eat  the 
jelly,  he  heard  his  sister  Fannie  calling  him ;  but  he  did 
not  answer. 

When  he  had  eaten  the  jelly  he  went  down  into  the 
meadow  lot  and  played  with  the  white  calf.  Then  he 
hunted  for  hens'  nests  about  the  barn  and  did  not  go  to 
the  house  for  a  long  time.  When  he  did  go  he  slipped 
in  so  quietly  that  nobody  heard  him. 

Presently  Fannie  came  into  the  room  where  he  was. 


88  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

"Why,   Davy,"   she  said,   " where  have  you  been  this 
long  time  ?     We  hunted  everywhere  for  you." 

"  What  did  you  want  ? "  he  said  gruffly. 

"  Mother  gave  us  a  party,"  said  Fannie.  "  We  had 
our  dolls'  dishes  set  on  a  little  table  under  the  big  tree 
by  the  porch ;  and  we  had  strawberries,  cake,  and 
raisins.  Just  as  we  sat  down  to  the  table,  Mrs.  White 
saw  us  from  her  window  and  sent  us  a  big  bowl  of  ice- 
cream and  some  jelly  that  she  had  left  from  her  dinner 
yesterday.  Oh,  we  had  a  fine  time !  You  ought  to 
have  been  with  us." 

When  Fannie  first  began  to  tell  about  the  party, 
Davy's  eyes  opened  wide.  Then  he  frowned  and  grew 
red  in  the  face.  When  she  finished  he  walked  away 
with  his  head  hanging  down. 

—  Adapted  from  Our  Little  Ones. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  second  sentence  ?     What  kind  of  a  hint  is  it  ? 

What  hints  in  the  next  two  sentences  ?  What  kind  ?  "  Mrs.  White 
just  sent  it  over  to  me,  but  you  may  have  it  if  you  will  not  be  stingy." 
What  hint  about  Mrs.  White  ?  What  hint  about  the  mother  ? 
What  about  Davy  ?  What  kind  is  each  ?  What  hint  in,  "  He 
looked  around  just  a  little  bit  "  ?  What  hint  in  his  slipping  quietly 
into  the  barn  and  up  into  the  haymow?  What  do  they  tell  you  about 
Davy  ?  What  hint  in  the  next  sentence  ?  What  kind  ?  "  But  he 
did  not  answer,"  hints  what  ?  What  kind  of  a  hint  is  it  ?  Find 
the  hints  in  the  next  paragraph.  Tell  the  kind  of  each. 

What  hints  about  Fannie  in  the  next  two  sentences  ?  What 
kind  ?  What  hint  in  "  gruffly"  ?  What  kind  of  hint  ?  In  the  next 
two  sentences  what  hint  about  the  mother  ?  About  Fannie  ?  What 
kind  ?  What  hints  about  Mrs.  White  in  the  next  sentence  ?  (Two 
kinds.)  What  hints  in,  "  Oh,  we  had  a  fine  time  !  You  ought  to  have 
been  with  us  "  ?  What  kind  of  hint  is  it  ? 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  89 

What  hint  in,  "  His  eyes  opened  wide  "  ?  What  hint  in,  u  Then 
he  frowned  and  grew  red  in  the  face  "  ?  What  kind  is  it  ?  What 
hint  in  the  last  sentence  ?  How  did  he  feel  as  he  walked  away  ? 
What  makes  you  think  so  ? 

KITTY'S   CHRISTMAS    PRESENT 

It  was  hard  for  little  Tom  to  get  to  sleep  that  night. 
He  did  not  want  to  go  to  bed  when  it  was  time.  After 
he  had  gone,  he  would  rise  up  in  bed  every  few  minutes 
and  listen.  But  after  a  while  he  fell  asleep. 

The  next  morning  he  awoke  very  early,  and  although 
it  was  very  cold  he  jumped  out  of  bed  and  ran  into  the 
sitting-room.  He  looked  first  at  the  place  where  he  had 
hung  his  stocking.  The  stocking  was  full.  It  took  him 
some  time  to  get  all  the  things  out. 

Then  there  was  a  pile  of  presents  on  the  chair  under 
the  stocking.  "  Everybody  in  the  house  has  given  me 
a  present,  Kitty,"  he  said  to  the  old  cat  that  lay  curled 
up  on  the  rug. 

He  showed  Kitty  everything,  and  she  seemed  to  be 
pleased.  But  when  he  put  her  in  the  new  cart,  and 
started  to  give  her  a  ride,  she  jumped  out  and  ran  away. 
Tom  frowned  at  her,  stamped  his  foot,  and  said,  "  I  don't 
care,  you  are  the  only  one  in  the  house  that  did  not  give 
me  a  present,  anyway."  And  then  he  threw  a  block 
at  her. 

Later  in  the  day  Tom  was  playing  with  his  blocks. 
His  cart  stood  near,  and  in  it  was  his  nice,  warm  fur 
cap.  Kitty  came  in  with  a  little  white  kitten  in  her 
mouth.  She  went  to  the  cart  and  put  the  kitten  in 
Tom's  cap. 

Tom  clapped  his  hands  and  shouted.     When  he  could 


9o  LESSONS   IN   ENGLISH 

stop  laughing  long  enough,  he  said,  "  Kitty  has  brought 
me  a  Christmas  present.  Just  see  what  a  pretty  one  it 
is,  too."  He  thought  Kitty  was  the  smartest  cat  in  the 
world.  He  took  the  best  kind  of  care  of  the  kitten,  and 
always  called  it  his  Christmas  present  from  Kitty. 

—  Adapted  from  The  Nursery. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  the  first  sentence  ?  Does  it  tell  the  kind  of  person, 
how  somebody  felt,  something  about  a  happening,  or  a  state  or  con- 
dition ?  What  hints  in  the  next  two  sentences  ?  What  kind  ? 

What  hint  in,  "  The  next  morning  he  awoke  very  early  "  ?  What 
in  the  remainder  of  that  sentence  ?  What  does  the  next  sentence 
hint  as  to  time  ?  Then  what  kind  of  a  hint  is  it  ?  What  hints  in 
the  last  two  sentences  of  that  paragraph  ?  What  kind  ? 

What  hints  in,  "  Then  there  was  a  pile  of  presents  on  the  chair 
under  the  stocking  "  ?  What  kind  of  hints  are  they  ?  What  hints 
in  the  next  sentence  ? 

What  hint  in,  "He  showed  Kitty  everything'1  ?  What  kind  is  it? 
In  the  next  sentence,  what  hint  ?  What  kind  ?  The  next  two 
sentences  hint  what  ?  These  hints  tell  you  what  ? 

"  Later  in  the  day  Tom  was  playing  with  his  blocks."  What 
hint  ?  What  hints  in  the  remainder  of  that  paragraph  ?  What 
kind  of  hints  are  they  ? 

"  Tom  clapped  his  hands  and  shouted."  What  hint  about  Tom 
now  ?  What  does  that  kind  of  a  hint  tell  ?  What  hint  in  the 
last  sentence  ?  What  kind  ? 

Tell  what  kind  of  a  boy  you  think  Tom  was.  What  things  did 
he  do  or  say  that  make  you  think  so  ? 

ONLY   A   CENT 

Uncle  Harris  was  a  carpenter  and  had  a  shop  in  the 
country.  One  day  he  went  into  the  barn  where  Dick 
and  Joe  were  playing  with  two  tame  pigeons. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  91 

"  Boys/'  he  said,  "  my  workshop  ought  to  be  swept 
up  every  evening.  Which  of  you  wants  to  do  it  ?  I 
will  pay  a  cent  for  each  sweeping." 

"  Only  a  penny  !  "  said  Dick. 

"  I'll  do  it,"  said  Joe. 

So  every  day  Joe  swept  the  shop.  He  put  his  pennies 
in  a  little  tin  savings  bank. 

One  day  Uncle  Harris  took  Dick  and  Joe  to  town 
with  him.  While  he  went  to  buy  his  lumber,  the  boys 
stayed  at  a  toy  store  and  looked  at  the  toys. 

"  What  fine  kites  !  "  said  Dick.  "  I  wish  I  could  buy 
one." 

"  Only  ten  cents,"  said  the  storekeeper. 

"  I  haven't  even  a  cent,"  said  Dick. 

"  I  have  fifty  cents,"  said  Joe,  "  and  I  think  I'll  buy 
that  bird  kite." 

"  How  did  you  get  fifty  cents  ?  "  asked  Dick. 

"  By  sweeping  the  shop,"  said  Joe.  "  I  saved  my 
pennies,  and  this  morning  I  opened  my  bank,  and  I  had 
fifty  pennies  in  it." 

Joe  bought  the  bird  kite  and  also  a  fine  large  knife, 
while  Dick  went  home  without  anything. 

After  that,  Dick  swept  the  shop  whenever  Joe  would 
let  him,  and  was  glad  to  get  the  penny  to  put  in  his 
bank.  —  Adapted  from  Our  Little  Ones. 

STUDIES 

What  hint  in  Dick's  saying,  "  Only  a  penny  "  ?  What  kind  of 
hint  is  it  ?  What  hint  concerning  Joe  in,  "  Fll  do  it "  ?  What 
kind  ?  What  kind  of  hint  in  the  next  sentence  ?  What  is  the  hint  ? 

In  the  next  paragraph,  what  hints  about  Uncle  Harris  ?  What 
kind  is  each  ?  What  hint  in,  "  I  wish  I  could  buy  one  "  ?  What 


92  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

kind  of  hint  is  it?  What  hint  do  you  get  about  the  storekeeper? 
What  hint  in  Dick's  answer  ?  What  kind  is  it  ?  What  hint  about 
Joe  in  the  next  ?  What  hint  in  Dick's  question,  "  How  did  you  get 
fifty  cents  ?  "  What  kind  ?  What  in  Joe's  answer  ?  What  does  it 
tell  of  Joe  ?  Then  what  kind  of  hint  is  it  ?  Any  hints  in  the  next 
sentence  ?  What  are  they  ? 

In  the  last  sentence  what  hint  about  Dick  ?  About  Joe  ?  What 
kind  is  each  ?  Which  boy  will  have  the  most  money  as  he  goes 
through  life  ?  Why  ? 


A   GOOD    LESSON 

The  air  was  fresh  and  cool.  The  smell  of  flowers 
was  everywhere.  The  golden  sunshine  was  falling  on 
the  leaves  and  grass,  and  here  and  there  you  could  see 
tiny  drops  of  dew.  The  birds  were  singing  in  the  trees, 
and  the  bees  were  humming  all  around.  Three  little 
children  came  out  of  a  small  yard,  and  into  the  village 
street.  Their  feet  were  bare,  and  their  clothes  were 
patched.  But  their  faces  were  clean  and  bright,  their 
hair  was  well  combed,  and  they  stepped  lightly  and 
talked  pleasantly. 

Each  one  had  a  shining  tin  pail,  and  one  had  a  mug 
beside.  They  were  carrying  milk  to  sell.  Jim  was?  tak- 
ing two  quarts  to  Mr.  Lane  whose  cow  did  not  give 
enough  for  his  family  and  for  the  boarders  too.  Emma 
had  a  quart  for  Mrs.  Dunn's  baby.  Hetty  had  a  pint 
for  —  well,  you  may  think  it  out.  It  was  for  something 
with  a  long,  slender  body;  sharp,  cutting  teeth ;  five  toes 
on  the  fore  foot  and  four  on  the  hind  foot ;  pads  under 
each  toe,  and  another  one  back  of  these  ;  sharp  claws 
that  are  drawn  back  almost  out  of-  sight  when  they  are 
not  in  use ;  it  hunts  for  mice  and  small  birds,  and 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  93 

catches  them  by  creeping  up  near  them,  and  then 
springing  upon  them.  His  name  was  Prince,  and  the 
lady  who  owned  him  was  rich.  She  was  boarding  in  the 
village  for  the  summer,  and  as  she  thought  a  great  deal 
of  Prince,  she  bought  a  pint  of  milk  every  morning  for 
him,  and  it  was  new  milk,  too.  This  morning  she  came 
out  to  get  the  milk  herself.  When  she  saw  that  Hetty 
had  a  mug  of  milk  besides  she  asked  her  where  she  was 
going  to  take  that. 

"  This  is  for  Mrs.  Bent's  baby,  who  is  not  very  well," 
said  Hetty.  "  You  see,  mamma  gives  us  each  a  cup  of 
milk  every  morning,  a  big  cup  of  new  milk,  and  because 
Mrs.  Bent  has  nothing  but  corn  bread  and  potatoes  to 
give  to  her  baby,  we  each  pour  some  milk  out  of  our 
mug  into  this,  and  that  makes  him  a  nice  drink  every 
morning  and  evening." 

"  That  is  a  noble  thing  to  do,"  said  the  lady,  and  she 
took  the  milk  for  Prince  and  went  slowly  to  the  house. 
She  said  to  herself,  "That  trip  would  cost  me  thirty 
dollars.  These  children  are  doing  such  unselfish 
things."  The  lady  did  not  go  away  on  a  trip,  but  the 
next  day  she  told  Hetty  that  she  might  find  out  how 
many  little  children  there  were  in  the  place  who  needed 
milk,  but  whose  parents  were  too  poor  to  buy  it.  The 
lady  took  the  list  which  Hetty  brought  to  her  the  next 
day,  and  told  Hetty  to  come  up  that  afternoon  to  see 
her.  When  Hetty  came  that  afternoon  the  lady  told 
her  that  she  would  pay  her  and  her  brother  and  little 
sister  three  dollars  a  month  to  feed  and  take  care  of  a 
cow  for  her,  and  give  the  milk  to  the  poor  babies  that 
needed  it.  Then  she  told  Hetty  to  go  home  and  tell  her 
brother  to  come  for  the  cow. 


94  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Hetty  ran  as  fast  as  she  could  go,  and  all  three  chil- 
dren came  back  for  the  cow.  Then  the  lady  took  them 
out  to  the  barn,  and  there  stood  a  beautiful  cream-col- 
ored cow  with  crumpled  horns,  which  she  told  Jim  was 
the  one  she  wanted  him  to  take  care  of  for  her.  And 
the  cow  was  well  cared  for,  I  can  tell  you,  and  not  a 
drop  of  milk  was  wasted. 

The  lady  went  away  early  in  the  fall,  but  the  three 
dollars  came  every  month. 

On  Christmas  morning  when  Jim  went  out  to  feed 
the  cows,  it  was  bitter  cold.  He  had  not  had  much  for 
Christmas,  but  he  was  very  cheerful.  When  he  came  to 
the  lady's  cow  he  found  this  note  on  her  halter  :  "  This 
cow  is  now  given  as  a  Christmas  present  to  three  little 
children  who  are  so  ready  to  help  those  who  are  in 
need." 

The  next  summer  the  poor  children  of  the  place  had 
milk  again. 

STUDIES 

What  things  hints  tell. 

1 .  The  kind  of  person. 

2.  How  a  person  feels. 

3.  A  happening. 

(a)  What  happened. 

(b)  Where  it  happened. 

(c)  When  it  happened. 

4.  The  state  or  condition  of  a  person  or  thing. 

"  The  air  was  fresh  and  cool.  The  smell  of  flowers  was  every- 
where." What  hint?  What  does  that  hint  tell?  In  the  next  sen- 
tence what  kind  of  a  hint?  When  does  it  tell  you  it  was?  What 
hint  in  the  fourth  sentence?  What  does  it  tell  about  the  birds  and 
bees? 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  95 

What  kind  of  hint  in  the  sixth  sentence?  What  does  it  tell  of 
the  children's  condition?  What  hints  in  the  next?  What  kind? 
"  Each  one  had  a  shining  tin  pail."  What  one  word  in  that  sentence 
gives  you  a  hint?  What  is  the  hint?  What  kind? 

For  what  was  the  pint?  How  do  you  know?  What  hints  tell 
you  so  ?  What  hints  in  the  next  two  sentences  about  the  lady  who 
owned  Prince? 

In  the  next  paragraph  what  hints  about  the  children?  About  the 
mother?  About  Mrs.  Bent?  What  kind  is  each? 

What  hint  in,  "  She  took  the  milk  and  went  slowly  to  the  house  "? 
What  kind  of  a  hint  is  it?  What  hint  in  the  next  two  sentences? 
Tell  the  kind.  In  the  next  what  is  the  hint?  What  does  that  kind 
of  a  hint  tell?  What  hints  in  the  next  two  sentences?  What  do 
they  tell  of  the  lady?  What  hint  in  the  last  sentence  of  that  para- 
graph? What  kind? 

What  hint  in,  "  Hetty  ran  as  fast  as  she  could  go  "  ?  Why  did  she 
run  so  fast?  WhaU does  it  tell  of  Hetty?  What  hint  in,  "All 
three  children  came  back  for  the  cow"?  What  hint  in,  "And  she 
was  well  cared  for,  I  can  tell  you,  and  not  a  drop  of  milk  was 
wasted"?  What  kind  is  it?  It  tells  you  what  of  the  children? 
What  hint  in  the  next  sentence?  What  kind  is  it? 

What  hint  about  Jim  in  the  next  sentence?  What  does  that  kind 
of  a  hint  tell?  What  hint  in  the  next  to  the  last  sentence?  What 
kind  is  it? 

What  hint  in  the  last  sentence?  What  kind?  Be  careful  to  get 
all  the  hint. 


II 

SELECTIONS  AND  STUDIES  IN  EMOTIONAL 
WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

(SEE  CHAPTER  II) 

SPRING 

IN  a  green  meadow 
The  brook  ripples  clear; 

Soft  in  the  sunshine 
The  daisies  appear. 

See  how  the  dandelions 

Brightly  unfold; 
They  hide  in  the  shining  grass, 

Yellow  as  gold. 

Blow,  gentle  breeze 

On  the  hill  and  the  plain; 

Play  in  the  sunshine 
And  blow  off  the  rain. 

—  From  SPEAR'S  Leaves  and  Flowers. 

[Published  by  D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.] 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

green  meadow          brook  brook  ripples  clear 

daisies  dandelions  hide  in  the  grass 

gentle  breeze  blow  off  the  rain 

96 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  97 

STOP,  STOP,  PRETTY  WATER 

"  Stop,  stop,  pretty  water !  " 

Said  Mary  one  day 
To  a  frolicsome  brook 

That  was  running  away. 

"  You  run  on  so  fast ! 

I  wish  you  would  stay: 
My  boat  and  my  flowers 

You  will  carry  away. 

"But  I  will  run  after; 

Mother  says  that  I  may; 
For  I  would  know  where 

You  are  running  away." 

So  Mary  ran  on; 

But  I  have  heard  say, 
That  she  never  could  find 
Where  the  brook  ran  away. 

—  MRS.  FOLLEN. 
STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

pretty  water  frolicsome  brook  my  boat  and  flowers 

boat  running  away 

LULLABY 

Sweet  and  low,  sweet  and  low, 

Wind  of  the  western  sea, 
Low,  low,  breathe  and  blow, 

Wind  of  the  western  sea ! 


98  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

Over  the  rolling  waters  go, 

Come  from  the  dying  moon,  and  blow, 

Blow  him  again  to  me; 
While  my  little  one,  while  my  pretty  one,  sleeps. 

Sleep  and  rest,  sleep  and  rest, 

Father  will  come  to  thee  soon; 
Rest,  rest,  on  mother's  breast, 

Father  will  come  to  thee  soon; 
Father  will  come  to  his  babe  in  the  nest, 
Silver  sails  all  out  of  the  west 

Under  the  silver  moon : 

Sleep,  my  little  one,  sleep,  my  pretty  one,  sleep. 

—  ALFRED  TENNYSON. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

sweet  and  low       sleep  and  rest       rolling  waters       babe  in  the  nest 
western  sea          silver  sails  dying  moon          silver  moon 

THE   PUSSY  WILLOW 

Dainty  pussy  willows 

On  a  swaying  bough, 
Sang  awhile  to  springtime, 

Soft  and  low. 
What  we  heard  them  telling 

In  the  plashing  rain 

We  will  tell  to  you  again. 

"  Yes,  we  are  pussies, 

Though  we  nevfer  purr; 
See,  we  are  dressed 

In  softest  fur. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  99 

Children  reach  to  gather  us 
With  loving  care 
As  we  gently  sway  in  air. 

"  Come  the  gentle  bluebirds 

When  the  warm  winds  blow, 
Do  we  ever  catch  them? 

Oh  no!  no! 
We  are  no  such  pussies  — 

Sad  would  be  the  spring 

Did  the  dear  birds  never  sing. 

"  By  and  by  the  rain  came 

Knocking  at  the  door; 
Sunbeams  coaxed  us 

Sleep  no  more. 
Out  we  sprang  delighted; 

Now  we  gaily  sing, 

Through  the  merry  hours  of  spring." 

[By  permission  of  The  Educational  Publishing  Company,  Boston.] 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

dainty  gently  sway  plashing  rain 

swaying  bough  warm  winds  blow  loving  care 

sang  soft  and  low  pussy  willows  bluebirds 

softest  fur  springtime  gaily  sing 

merry  hours  of  spring 

THE  VIOLET 

Dear  little  violet, 

Don't  be  afraid ; 
Lift  your  blue  eyes 

From  the  rock's  mossy  shade. 


ioo  LESSONS    IN   ENGLISH 

All  the  birds  call  for  you 

Out  of  the  sky ; 
May  is  here  waiting, 

And  here,  too,  am  I. 

Why  do  you  shiver  so, 

Violet,  sweet? 
Soft  in  the  meadow  grass 

Under  my  feet, 
Wrapped  in  your  hood  of  green, 

Violet,  why 
Peep  from  your  earthy  door 

Silent  and  shy  ? 

—  LUCY  LARCOM. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

violet  out  of  the  sky  meadow  grass 

blue  eyes  shiver  wrapped 

rock's  mossy  shade  peep  hood  of  green 
earthy  door 

TWINKLE,    LITTLE   STAR 

Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star, 
How  I  wonder  what  you  are, 
Up  above  the  world  so  high, 
Like  a  diamond  in  the  sky ! 

When  the  glorious  sun  is  set, 
And  the  grass  with  dew  is  wet, 
Then  you  show  your  little  light, 
Twinkle,  twinkle,  all  the  night. 

In  the  dark  blue  sky  you  keep, 

And  often  through  my  curtains  peep ; 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  101 

For  you  never  shut  your  eye, 

Till  the  sun  is  in  the  sky. 

—  JANE  TAYLOR. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

twinkle  dark  blue  sky  in  the  sky 

diamond  dew  little  light 

glorious  sun  little  star 

THE   SEED 

The  wind  whistled  bleak  in  the  treetops ; 

The  woodland  was  drear  and  bare ; 
A  little  s'eed  fell  on  the  frozen  ground. 

"  I  must  die  ! "  it  cried  in  despair. 

Then  down  from  a  cloud  there  sifted, 
Like  the  flutter  of  wings,  a  swarm 

Of  tender,  glistening  flakes  of  snow 
That  covered  it  snug  and  warm. 

The  bleak,  stormy  day  is  forgotten ; 

The  long  winter  through  it  lies 
Till  some  day  in  spring  it  opens 

Its  eyes  to  the  bluest  of  skies. 

—  RUTH  DAVIS. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

wind  whistled  bleak  in  the  treetops 

drear  woodland  frozen  ground 

down  from  a  cloud  flutter  of  wings 

glistening  flakes  of  snow  bleak,  stormy  day 

day  in  spring  bluest  of  skies 


102  LESSONS   IN   ENGLISH 


...   LITTLE   STREAMS 

Little  streams,  in  light  and  shadow 
Flowing  through  the  pasture  meadow; 
Flowing  by  the  green  wayside : 
Through  the  forest  dim  and  wide ; 
Through  the  hamlet  still  and  small ; 
By  the  cottage ;  by  the  hall ; 
By  the  ruined  abbey  still ; 
Turning,  here  and  there,  a  mill ; 
Bearing  tribute  to  the  river ; 
Little  streams,  I  love  you  ever ! 
Down  in  valleys  green  and  lowly, 
Murmuring  not  and  gliding  slowly ; 
Up  in  mountain  hollows  wild, 
Fretting  like  a  peevish  child ; 
Through  the  hamlet,  where  all  day 
In  their  waves  the  children  play,  — 
Running  west,  or  running  east, 
Doing  good  to  man  and  beast, 
Always  giving,  weary  never, 
Little  streams,  I  love  you  ever ! 

—  MARY  HOWITT. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

little  streams  light  and  shadow 

pasture  meadow  green  wayside 

cottage  dim  forest 

ruined  abbey  valleys  green  and  lowly 

murmuring  gliding  slowly 

wild  mountain  hollows 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  103 


THE   LAST   NIGHT   OF  JOAN   OF   ARC 

The  silver  moon  sails  on,  sails  on, 

The  night  is  waxing  old, 
And  still,  above  the  shadowy  pines, 

The  stars  shine  clear  and  cold. 

The  restless  waves  come  rocking  home 

And  beat  upon  the  strand  ; 
The  cocks  proclaim  the  passing  hour 

Throughout  the  sleeping  land. 

The  waning  stars  are  paling  fast 

Below  the  sinking  moon  ; 
Low  in  the  east  the  darkness  lifts  — 

The  end  is  coming  soon. 

The  morning  sun  is  blazing  gold  — 

It  beats  across  my  cell. 
The  night  has  sped,  my  hour  has  come  — 

Ah,  world  of  God,  farewell ! 

—  DOROTHY  GREEN. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

silver  moon  shadowy  pines 

restless  waves  .  sleeping  land 

waning  stars  sinking  moon 

darkness  lifts  morning  sun 

What  do  you  think  of  as  sleeping  ?      Why  say  the  land  was 
sleeping  ? 

What  does  the  last  stanza  tell  you  about  Joan  of  Arc  ? 


io4  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 


WINTER  WIND 

What  way  does  the  wind  come  ?     What  way  does  he  go  ? 

He  rides  over  the  water  and  over  the  snow, 

Through  wood,  and  through  vale  ;  and  o'er  rocky  height 

Which  the  goat  cannot  climb  takes  his  sounding  flight ; 

He  tosses  about  in  every  bare  tree, 

As,  if  you  look  up,  you  plainly  may  see ; 

But  how  he  will  corne  and  whither  he  goes 

There's  never  a  scholar  in  England  knows. 

He  will  suddenly  stop  in  a  cunning  noo.k 

And  ring  a  sharp  'larum  !  —  but  if  you  should  look, 

There's  nothing  to  see  but  a  cushion  of  snow 

Round  as  a  pillow  and- whiter  than  milk, 

And  softer  than  if  it  were  covered  with  silk. 

Sometimes  he'll  hide  in  the  cave  of  a  rock, 

Then  whistle  as  shrill  as  a  buzzard  cock  ;  — 

Yet  seek  him,  —  and  what  shall  you  find  in  the  place  ? 

Nothing  but  silence  and  empty  space ; 

Save,  in  a  corner  a  heap  of  dry  leaves, 

That  he's  left,  for  a  bed,  to  beggars  or  thieves ! 

—  WORDSWORTH. 
STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

over  the  water  over  the  snow 

o'er  rocky  height  flight 

through  vale  every  bare  tree 

cunning  nook  cushion  of  snow 

whiter  than  milk  softer  than  silk 

whistle  shrill  cave  of  rock 

heap  of  dry  leaves  silence 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  105 


GOOD   MORNING 

Good  morning  to  the  sunshine  fair, 

That  lights  this  world  of  ours, 
Good  morning  to  the  singing  birds, 

Good  morning  to  the  flowers ! 

Good  morning  to  the  friendly  clouds 

That  bring  refreshing  rain, 
Which  patters  out,  "  Good  morning,  dears !  " 

Upon  the  window  pane. 

Good  morning  to  the  lovely  snow, 

That  lies  so  soft  and  deep 
Above  the  little  tender  seeds 

In  mother  earth  asleep. 
—  CARO  A.  DUGAN,  from  Songs  and  Games  for  Little  Ones. 

[By  permission  of  Oliver  Ditson  Company,  owners  of  the  copyright.] 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

sunshine  fair  soft  and  deep  friendly  clouds 

refreshing  rain  singing  birds  lovely  snow 

little  tender  seeds 

THE   GREEN    LINNET 

Beneath  these  fruit-tree  boughs  that  shed 
Their  snow-white  blossoms  on  thy  head, 
With  brightest  sunshine  round  me  spread 

Of  spring's  unclouded  weather, 
In  this  sequestered  nook  how  sweet 
To  sit  upon  my  orchard  seat ! 


io6  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

And  birds  and  flowers  once  more  to  greet, 
My  last  year's  friends  together. 

Upon  yon  tuft  of  hazel  trees, 
That  twinkle  to  the  gusty  breeze, 
Behold  him  perched  in  ecstasies, 

Yet  seeming  still  to  hover ; 
There  !  where  the  flutter  of  his  wings 
Upon  his  back  and  body  flings 
Shadows  and  sunny  glimmerings, 

That  cover  him  all  over. 

My  sight  he  dazzles,  half  deceives, 
A  bird  so  like  the  dancing  leaves ; 
Then  flits,  and  from  the  cottage  eaves 

Pours  forth  his  song  in  gushes ; 
As  if  by  that  exulting  strain 
He  mocked  and  treated  with  disdain 
The  voiceless  form  he  chose  to  feign, 

While  fluttering  in  the  bushes. 

—  WORDSWORTH. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

fruit-tree  boughs  snow-white  blossoms 

brightest  sunshine  spring's  unclouded  weather 

sequestered  nook  orchard  seat 

tuft  of  hazel  trees  twinkle 

gusty  breeze  flutter  of  wings 

sunny  glimmerings  dancing  leaves 

cottage  eaves  fluttering  in  the  bushes 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  107 


THE   FERNS 

The  following  studies  and  children's  answers  are  an 
exact  reproduction  of  a  class  exercise  from  the  poem 
The  Ferns,  to  be  found  in  Harper's  Second  Reader. 

STUDIES 

Lines  i  and  2.  (a)  Who  do  you  think  said  it?  (b)  What  hint 
in  the  way  it  is  said  ?  (c)  "  Long  winter  "  makes  you  think  of  what? 

Line  3.    (a)  What  are  baby  ferns  like?    (b)  Where  do  they  grow? 

Line  4.  (a)  What  made  the  mother  fern  die?  (£)  Was  the 
mother  fern  needed  to  make  the  baby  ferns  grow  the  next  year? 
Why? 

Line  5.  (a)  Do  you  know  what  "bleak11  means?  (£)  "Winds 
whistled  bleak"  makes  you  think  of  what? 

Line  6.  (a)  What  is  a  woodland?  (b)  "Woodland  was  drear" 
makes  you  think  of  what  ? 

Lines  7  and  8.     (a)    What  does  that  mean?     (b)    Any  hint? 

Line  9.     Makes  you  think  of  what? 

Line  10.  What  do  you  think  of  when  you  hear  me  say,  "flutter 
of  wings 11  ? 

Lines  n  and  12.  (#)  What  does  "tiny  white  things"  make  you 
think  of  ?  (b)  What  does  it  mean  ? 

Lines  13-16.  (a)  What  two  things  did  the  snowflakes  do  for  the 
ferns  ?  (b)  What  does  "  bleak  stormy  day  "  make  you  think  of  ? 

Line  17.   What  does  "under  the  snow"  make  you  think  of? 

Line  18.     Means  what? 

Line  19.     Why  will  they  not  know  anything? 

Line  20.  (a)  Means  whom  ?  (b)  "  In  the  woods  "  makes  you 
think  of  what? 

Line  21.  (a)  What  does  "day  in  spring"  make  you  think  of? 
(b)  What  is  going  to  happen  ? 

Line  22.     What  are  bobolinks  ? 

Line  23.     Why? 

Line  24.  What  do  you  think  of  when  you  hear  "  bluest  of 
skies"? 


io8  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 


CHILDREN'S   ANSWERS 

i.  and  2.  (a)  " Children,"  " flowers,"  "squirrels,"  "rabbits," 
" leaves,"  "  ferns."  (b)  "  They  felt  awful  sorry."  "  They  felt  sad." 
"  They  didn't  know  what  to  do."  "  They  were  afraid  they'd  be 
frozen."  (c)  "Long  winter"  makes  me  think  of  the  long  cold 
days  when  it  was  so  cold  I  could  not  go  out  of  doors." 

3.  (a)   "Baby  ferns  are  the  leaves  rolled  up  tight  in  a  little 
ball."     (b)  "  They  grow  close  to  the  ground." 

4.  (a)  "  She  died   because    she   was  so    cold."     "  She   froze." 
(<£)  "No'm,  they'd  come  up  from  the  roots."     "The  roots  don't 
freeze  and  the  baby  ferns  come  up  from  them  next  year." 

5.  (a)  "Bleak  means  cold,  windy."     (b)  "Once  I  was  coming 
from  Sunday   school.     Everything  was  white  with  snow,  and  the 
sky  was  dark  and  gray.     The  wind  was  cold  and  blew  very  hard." 

6.  (a)   "A  place   where   lots   of  trees   grow."     "The   woods." 
"The  timber."     (b)  "I  went  to  the  woods  one  day  in  fall.     There 
were  leaves  on  the  ground  and  none   on   the   trees.     Everything 
looked  dark  and  lonely,  for  it  was  nearly  night.     It  was  so  still 
that  I  felt  lonesome  and  a  little  afraid." 

7  and  8.  (#)  "  The  baby  ferns  felt  so  sorry  that  they  were 
crying."  "They  were  awful  sad  and  lonesome."  (b)  "I  think  the 
tear  was  a  drop  of  dew."  "  I  think  it  was  a  drop  of  water." 

9.  "  Once  I  saw,  after  a  rain,  when  I  looked  out  of  the  window, 
little  paths  of  light  coming  down  from  the  clouds."     "  Once  I  was  in 
the  house  and  it  was  storming.     The  wind  was  blowing,  trees  were 
bending  nearly  to  the  ground.     I  looked  from  the  door,  and  saw 
rain  and  bright  streaks  of  lightning  coming  down  from  the  clouds." 

10.  "Sterling  and  I  went  hunting.     We  saw  some  geese  flying 
in  the  air.     Their  wings  fluttered  as  they  went  by."     "John  Watson 
had  a  pelican  and  it  flew  up  in  the  air.     When  it  started  to  fly,  its 
wings  fluttered." 

ii  and  12.  (a)  "One  time  I  saw  lots  of  little  white  things  flying 
in  the  air.  They  were  little  milkweed  seeds."  (£)  "  The  tiny  white 
things  were  snowflakes." 

13-16.  (a)  "The  snowflakes  kept  the  ferns  alive  and  warm." 
"They  covered  the  little  ferns'  heads  so  they  wouldn't  freeze." 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  109 

(£)  "I  came  to  school  one  stormy  day  when  the  snow  was  so 
deep  I  could  hardly  walk.  The  wind  blew  and  blew  the  snow 
in  my  face  so  I  could  hardly  see." 

17.  "I  think  of  grass  sleeping  until  the  snow  melts,  and  the  sun 
shines  warm."     "I  think  of  flowers  that  are  under  the  snow  keeping 
warm  until  the  spring  comes." 

18.  "The  little  brown  hoods"  are  little  brown  hairs  that  grow 
on  the  baby  ferns  to  help  keep  them  warm." 

19.  "They  have  gone  to  sleep." 

20.  (a)    "The    baby   ferns    are    the   ' babes   in   the   woods.1" 
(b)  "  One  time  all  of  us  went  to  the  woods  to  get  leaves,  moss,  and 
puff  balls.     We  ate  our  lunch  under  the  trees,  and  had  fun." 

21.  (a)  "It  was  a  little  chilly,  but  the  sun  was  shining  bright. 
I  was  looking  from  the  window  and  saw  the  buds  on  the  trees, 
grass  growing  green,  and  the  birds  were  singing."     (b)  "  The  baby 
ferns  are  going  to  wake  up  and  grow." 

22.  "  Bobolinks  are  birds." 

23.  "They  are  going  to  wake  up  because  the  sun  has  uncovered 
their  heads,  and  they  think  it  is  time  to  get  up."     "They  are  going 
to  open  their  eyes  and  begin  to  grow."     "  They  are  going  to  grow 
and  be  mother  ferns." 

24.  "  In  summer  I  was  playing  horse  and  got  tired  and  lay  down 
on  the  cool  green  grass  to  rest.     I  looked  up  and  saw  the  sky  was 
all  blue." 


AUTUMN   LEAVES 

"  Come  little  leaves/'  said  the  wind  one  day, 
"  Come  o'er  the  meadow  with  me  and  play ; 
Put  on  your  dresses  of  red  and  of  gold, 
Winter  is  coming  and  the  days  grow  cold." 

Soon  as  the  leaves  heard  the  loud  wind  call, 
Down  they  came  fluttering  one  and  all ; 
O'er  the  green  meadow  they  danced  and  they  flew, 
Singing  the  soft  little  songs  they  knew. 


no  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

Dancing  and  whirling  the  little  leaves  went, 
Winter  had  called  them  and  they  were  content. 
Soon  fast  asleep  in  their  earthy  beds 
The  snow  laid  a  coverlet  over  their  heads. 

—  GEORGE  COOPER. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

little  leaves  o?er  the  meadow  green  meadow 

the  loud  wind  fluttering  earthy  bed 

soft  little  songs         the  days  grow  cold 

What  do  you  think  of  as  wearing  dresses?  Do  leaves  wear 
dresses?  Why  say  they  do?  What  do  you  think  of  when  I  say 
"heard"?  "danced"?  "singing"?  What  heard?  What  danced? 
What  was  singing  ?  Why  speak  so  of  the  leaves  ?  What  sing  songs  ? 
Why  say  the  leaves  sang  songs?  What  things  sleep?  Why  say 
they  were  asleep?  Was  it  a  coverlet?  Why  say  coverlet?  Do  the 
leaves  have  heads  ?  Why  say  "  over  their  heads  "  ? 


THE   EVENING   CLOUD 

A  cloud  lay  cradled  near  the  setting  sun, 
A  gleam  of  crimson  tinged  its  braided  snow  ; 
Long  had  I  watch'd  the  glory  moving  on 
O'er  the  still  radiance  of  the  lake  below. 
Tranquil  its  spirit  seemed  and  floated  slow ! 
Even  in  its  very  motion  there  was  rest : 
While  every  breath  of  eve  that  chanced  to  blow 
Wafted  the  traveler  to  the  beauteous  West. 

—  JOHN  WILSON. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  in 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

cradled  setting  sun 

tinged  gleam  of  crimson 

radiance  tinged  its  snow 

glory  still  radiance  of  the  lake 

breath  of  eve                      tranquil  spirit 

wafted  floated  slow 
beauteous  West 

Was  the  cloud  in  a  cradle?    Why  say  it  was?     What  do  you 
think  of  as  being  wafted  ?     Why  say  the  "  traveler  was  wafted  "  ? 

THE   FROST 

The  frost  looked  forth  one  still,  clear  night, 
And  whispered,  "  Now  I  shall  be  out  of  sight ! 
So,  through  the  valley  and  over  the  height 

In  silence  I'll  take  my  way. 
I  will  not  go  on  like  that  blustering  train, 
The  wind  and  the  snow  and  the  hail  and  the  rain, 
That  make  such  a  bustle  and  noise  in  vain, 
But  I'll  be  as  busy  as  they." 

So  he  flew  to  the  mountain,  and  powdered  its  crest, 
He  lit  on  the  trees,  and  their  boughs  he  dressed 
With  diamonds  and  pearls ;  and  over  the  breast 

Of  the  quivering  lake  he  spread 
A  coat  of  mail  that  need  not  fear 
The  downward  point  of  many  a  spear 
Which  he  hung  on  its  margin  far  and  near 

Where  a  rock  could  rear  its  head. 


ii2  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

He  went  to  the  windows  of  those  who  slept, 
And  over  each  pane  like  a  fairy  crept ; 
Wherever  he  breathed,  wherever  he  stepped, 

By  the  light  of  the  moon  were  seen 
Most  beautiful  things ;  there  were  flowers  and  trees, 
There  were  bevies  of  birds  and  swarms  of  bees ; 
There  were  cities  and  temples  and  towers  —  and  these 

All  pictured  in  silvery  sheen. 

But  he  did  one  thing  that  was  hardly  fair  — 
He  peeped  in  the  cupboard,  and  finding  there 
That  all  had  forgotten  for  him  to  prepare, 

"  Now,  just  to  set  them  a  thinking,"  said  he, 
"This  costly  pitcher  I'll  burst  in  three ! 
And  the  glass  of  water  they've  left  for  me, 

Shall  'tchick'  to  tell  them  I'm  drinking." 

—  HANNAH  F.  GOULD. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

still  clear  night  through  the  valley 

blustering  train  flew  to  the  mountain 

powdered  its  crest  quivering  lake 

like  a  fairy  crept  light  of  the  moon 

bevies  of  birds  swarms  of  bees 

temples  and  towers  silvery  sheen 

What  does  "whispered"  make  you  think  of?  Why  say  Jack 
Frost  whispered?  Why  "looked"?  Why  say  "he  flew"?  Did 
he  put  "dresses"  on  the  boughs?  What  did  he  do?  What  is 
meant  by  "  coat  of  mail "  ?  What  did  he  give  to  the  lake  ?  What  to 
the  windows?  What  does  "peeped"  call  to  your  mind?  Why 
speak  of  the  frost  as  peeping?  Was  he  "  drinking  " ?  Why  say  so ? 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  113 

MOTHER'S   GOOD   NIGHT 

Good  night,  sweetheart !     The  passing  day 

Has  crossed  the  sunset  bar, 
And  clear  above  the  paling  west 

Shines  forth  the  evening  star. 
The  myriad  cares  that  vexed  the  day 

Fade  with  the  fading  light ; 
I  only  know  I  love  you,  dear  — 

Good  night,  my  babe  !     Good  night ! 

• 
Good  night,  sweetheart !     My  strength  is  small 

And  I  am  far  away. 
A  stronger  love  than  mine  keeps  guard, 

And  to  that  Love  I  pray. 
For  far  above  the  restless  world 

The  stars  of  God  are  bright. 
God  keep  you  till  the  perfect  dawn  — 

Good  night,  my  babe  !     Good  night ! 

—  DOROTHY  GREEN. 
STUDIES 

EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

sunset  bar  paling  west 

evening  star  fading  light 

restless  world  perfect  dawn 

bright  stars  of  God 
What  does  "  Good  night,  my  babe  "  call  to  your  mind  ? 

ARBUTUS 

Light  fall  the  April  rains,  soon  comes  the  sunshine, 
Chasing  the  soft  clouds  far  over  the  blue. 

Hark  !     Can  you  hear  the  East,  calling  to  Westward  ? 
"  Come  back,  my  children,  I'm  waiting  for  you. 


u4  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

"  Come  away,  come  away,  leaving  the  prairie  — 
Leaving  the  treeless  plain,  dusty  and  bare. 

Come  to  the  woods  in  the  first  flush  of  April, 
For  the  arbutus  is  blossoming  there." 

Soon  all  the  earth  will  be  fragrant  with  springtime  ; 

Bloodroot,  anemones,  violets  too, 
Columbines,  cowslips,  and  down  in  the  meadow, 

Clear  as  the  sky,  the  forget-me-nots  blue. 

Now  in  the  far  woods  they're  quietly  sleeping, 
Waiting  the  warm  winds  who  wake  them  from  rest ; 

Yet  the  Forerunner  has  met  us  already  — 

Dainty  wee  Mayflower,  the  first  and  the  best. 

Under  the  dead  leaves  that  fell  last  November, 
Timid,  yet  ready,  the  March  wind  to  dare, 

Pink,  freshly  fragrant,  awaiting  its  lovers — 
Lo !  the  arbutus  is  blossoming  there. 

—  DOROTHY  GREEN. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

April  rains  soft  clouds 

prairie  treeless  plain,  dusty  and  bare 

bloodroot  first  flush  of  April 

anemones  fragrant  with  springtime 

columbines  down  in  the  meadow 

cowslips  forget-me-nots  blue 
under  dead  leaves         quietly  sleeping 

March  wind  dainty  wee  Mayflower 

What  does  the  word  "chasing"  make  you  think  of?  Why 
say  the  sunshine  is  chasing  the  clouds  ?  What  do  you  think  of  as 
calling?  Can  the  East  call  the  West?  Why  speak  of  it  thus? 
What  do  you  think  of  as  sleeping?  Why  say  the  flowers  are  sleep- 
ing? Why  say  the  winds  wake  them? 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  115 

SUMMER 

They  may  boast  of  the  springtime  when  flowers  are  the 
fairest, 

And  birds  sing  by  thousands  on  every  green  tree ; 
They  may  call  it  the  loveliest,  the  greenest,  the  rarest ;  — 

But  the  summer's  the  season  that's  dearest  to  me. 

For   the   brightness   of    sunshine ;    the    depth    of   the 
shadows  ; 

The  crystal  of  waters ;  the  fullness  of  green, 
And  the  rich  flowing  growth  of  the  old  pasture  meadows, 

In  the  glory  of  summer  can  only  be  seen. 

Oh,  the  joy  of  the  greenwood  !  I  love  to  be  in  it, 
And  list  to  the  hum  of  the  never-still  bees, 

And  to  hear  the  sweet  voice  of  the  old  mother  linnet, 
Calling  unto  her  young  'mong  the  leaves  of  the  trees ! 

Yes,  the  summer,  —  the  radiant  summer's  the  fairest, 
For  green-woods  and   mountains,  for  meadows  and 
bowers, 

For  waters  and  fruits,  and  for  flowers  the  rarest, 
And  for  bright  shining  butterflies,  lovely  as  flowers. 

—  MARY   HOWITT. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

springtime  fairest  flowers 

brightness  of  sunshine  depth  of  shadows 

crystal  of  waters  fullness  of  green 

rich  flowery  growth  old  pasture  meadows 

glory  of  summer  joy  of  the  green-wood 

old  mother  linnet  'mong  the  leaves  of  the  trees 

radiant  summer  bright  shining  butterflies 


n6  LESSONS  IN    ENGLISH 

SPRING 

Bright  Creature,  lift  thy  voice  and  sing 
Like  the  glad  birds,  for  this  is  spring ! 
Look  up — the  skies  above  are  bright, 
And  darkly  blue  as  deep  midnight; 
And  piled-up,  silvery  clouds  lie  there, 
Like  radiant  slumberers  of  the  air: 
And  hark!  from  every  bush  and  tree 
Rings  forth  the  wild-wood  melody. 
The  blackbird  and  the  thrush  sing  out; 
And  small  birds  warble  round  about, 
As  if  they  were  bereft  of  reason, 
In  the  great  gladness  of  the  season; 

For  life,  in  the  glad  days  of  spring, 
Doth  gladden  each  created  thing. 

—  MARY  HOWITT. 
STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

bright  creature  glad  birds 

deep  midnight  skies,  bright  and  darkly'blue 

radiant  piled-up,  silvery  clouds 

wild-wood  melody  glad  days  of  spring 

What  word  do  you  use  for  "  thy  "  ?     For  "  doth  "  ? 

THE   DAISY 

There  is  a  flower,  a  little  flower, 
With  silver  crest  and  golden  eye, 

That  welcomes  every  changing  hour, 
And  weathers  every  sky. 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  117 

It  smiles  upon  the  lap  of  May, 
To  sultry  August  spreads  its  charm, 

Lights  pale  October  on  his  way, 
And  twines  December's  arm. 

'Tis  Flora's  page,  in  every  place, 
In  every  season,  fresh  and  fair; 

It  opens  its  perennial  grace, 
And  blossoms  everywhere. 

On  waste  and  woodland,  rock  and  plain, 
Its  humble  buds  unheeded  rise; 

The  rose  has  but  a  summer  reign: 
The  Daisy  never  dies. 

—  JAMES  MONTGOMERY. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

little  flower  silver  crest  golden  eye 

sultry  August  pale  October  blossoms 

woodland  summer  reign  fresh  and  fair 

Explain  the  use  of  "  smiles,"  "  spreads,"  « lights,"  and  "  twines," 
as  used  in  the  second  stanza. 


WE   THANK   THEE 

For  flowers  that  bloom  about  our  feet; 
For  tender  grass,  so  fresh  and  sweet; 
For  song  of  bird  and  hum  of  bee; 
For  all  things  fair  we  hear  or  see, 
Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  Thee ! 


n8  LESSONS   IN   ENGLISH 

For  blue  of  stream  and  blue  of  sky; 
For  pleasant  shade  of  branches  high; 
For  fragrant  air  and  cooling  breeze ; 
For  beauty  of  the  blooming  trees, 
Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  Thee ! 

—  RALPH  WALDO  EMERSON. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

tender  grass        blue  of  stream         branches  high        blooming  trees 
song  of  bird        blue  of  sky  fragrant  air  heaven 

hum  of  bee          pleasant  shade        cooling  breeze 

What  do  you  think  of  when  you  see  the  word  "  fresh  "  ?  Fresh 
what  ?  In  the  same  way  "sweet"  ?  Sweet  what  ?  Why  say  fresh 
grass?  Why  say  sweet  grass  ? 

Notice  the  transposed  meaning  of  these  words,  but  do  not  try  to 
do  more  than  call  attention  to  the  unusual  use  of  the  words,  which 
will  be  done  well  enough  by  asking  the  questions  as  given  above. 

SNOWFLAKES 

Tiny  little  snowflakes, 

In  the  air  so  high, 
Are  you  little  angels, 

Floating  in  the  sky  ? 
Robed  so  white  and  spotless, 

Flying  like  a  dove, 
Are  you  little  creatures 

From  the  world  above  ? 

Whirling  on  the  sidewalk, 

Dancing  in  the  street, 
Kissing  all  the  faces 

Of  the  children  sweet, 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  119 

Loading  all  the  housetops, 

Powdering  all  the  trees, — 
Cunning  little  snowflakes, 

Little  busy  bees ! 

—  LUCY  LARCOM. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

tiny  little  snowflakes  powdering  the  trees  dancing 

floating        whirling  flying  like  a  dove  little  busy  bees 

What  does  the  word  "  robed  "  call  to  your  mind  ?  Why  say  the 
"  snowflakes  were  robed  "  ?  What  does  "  dancing  "  make  you  think 
of  ?  What  does  "  kissing "  make  you  think  of  ?  Why  say  these 
things  of  the  snowflakes  ?  Were  the  snowflakes  really  bees  ?  Why 
say  they  were  ? 

SEVEN   TIMES   ONE 

There's  no  dew  left  on  the  daisies  and  clover, 

There's  no  rain  left  in  heaven  ; 
I've  said  my  "  seven  times  "  over  and  over,— 

Seven  times  one  are  seven. 

I  am  old,  —  so  old  I  can  write  a  letter ; 

My  birthday  lessons  are  done. 
The  lambs  play  always  —  they  know  no  better  — 

They  are  only  one  times  one. 

O  Moon !  in  the  night  I  have  seen  you  sailing 

And  shining  so  round  and  low ; 
You  were  bright,  ah,  bright !  but  your  light  is  failing,  — 

You're  nothing  now  but  a  bow. 


120  LESSONS   IN   ENGLISH 

You,  Moon,  have  you  done  something  wrong  in  heaven, 

That  God  has  hidden  your  face  ? 
I  hope,  if  you  have,  you  will  soon  be  forgiven, 

And  shine  again  in  your  place. 

O  velvet  bee,  you're  a  dusty  fellow ; 

You've  powdered  your  legs  with  gold ! 
O  brave  marshmary  buds,  rich  and  yellow, 

Give  me  your  money  to  hold ! 

O  columbine,  open  your  folded  wrapper, 
Where  two  twin  turtle-doves  dwell ! 

0  cuckoo-pint,  toll  me  the  purple  clapper 
That  hangs  in  your  clear  green  bell ! 

And  show  me  your  nest,  with  the  young  ones  in  it,  — 
I  will  not  steal  it  away ; 

1  am  old !  you  may  trust  me,  linnet,  linnet,  — 

I  am  seven  times  one  to-day. 

—  JEAN  INGELOW. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

daisies  light  is  failing  brave  marshmary  buds 

clover  velvet  bee  twin  turtle-doves 

lambs  dusty  fellow  purple  clapper 

THE  VIOLET 

Down  in  a  green  and  shady  bed 

A  modest  violet  grew. 
Its  stalk  was  bent,  —  it  hung  its  head 

As  if  to  hide  from  view. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  121 

And  yet  it  was  a  lovely  flower, 

Its  color  bright  and  fair. 
It  might  have  graced  a  rosy  bower 

Instead  of  hiding  there. 

Yet  thus  it  was  content  to  bloom, 

In  modest  tints  arrayed, 
And  there  diffused  its  sweet  perfume 

Within  the  silent  shade. 

—  JANE  TAYLOR. 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

green  and  shady  bed  content  hung  its  head 

modest  violet  sweet  perfume  lovely  flower 

graced  silent  shade  rosy  bower 
modest  tints 

What  do  you  think  of  when  I  say  "  bed  "  ?  Does  the  violet  really 
have  a  bed?  Why  say  it  does?  What  do  you  think  of  when  I  say 
"  modest "  ?  A  modest  what  ?  Why  say  "  modest  violet  "  ?  Why 
say  "modest  tints11?  What  do  you  think  of  as  hanging  its  head  ? 
Why  say  the  violet  hung  its  head?  What  does  "  hiding11  make  you 
think  of  ?  What  do  you  think  of  as  hiding?  Does  the  violet  really 
hide  ?  Why  say  it  does  ?  What  do  you  think  of  when  I  say  "  silent "  ? 
Why  say  "  silent  shade  "? 


MAY 

Starting,  starting  from  the  earth, 

See  the  pretty  flowers ! 
Wakened  from  their  winter's  sleep 

By  the  springtime  showers. 


122  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Now  we  know  that  May  hath  come, 

O'er  the  meadows  dancing; 
Robin  lilts  his  sweetest  song, 

Sunbeams  round  him  glancing. 

Bluebird's  knocking  at  the  door, 

Swallow's  hither  coming 
And  o'er  all  the  sunny  mead 

Springtime  bees  are  humming. 

Golden  sunshine,  silver  rain, 

Each  its  work  is  doing. 
Birds  and  bees  and  blossoms  fair 

Now  the  world  renewing. 

O  thou  merry  month  o'  May, 

We  have  come  to  meet  you ! 
Little  lads  and  lassies  gay, 

Happily  we  greet  you. 

—  HELEN  B.  CURTIS. 

[By  permission  of  the  Educational  Publishing  Company,  Boston.] 

STUDIES 
EMOTIONAL  WORDS  AND  PHRASES 

pretty  flowers  springtime  showers 

sweetest  song  o'er  meadows  dancing 

sunbeams  sunny  mead 

golden  sunshine  silver  rain 

merry  month  o'  May  blossoms  fair 

Why  "winter's   sleep"?    Why  speak  of  the  flowers  as   being 
"  wakened  "  ?     Of  the  "  bluebird's  knocking  "  ? 

What  word  would  you  use  for  "  hath  *'  ?    For  "  thou  "  ? 


Ill 

SELECTIONS  AND  STUDIES   IN   METAPHOR 
AND   TYPES 

(SEE  CHAPTER   III) 

METAPHORS 

1.  The  sunshine  poured  in  at  the  window. 

2.  The  violet  grows  in  a  shady  bed. 

3.  It  has  a  modest  color. 

4.  The  grass  is  fresh  to-day. 

5.  The  clouds  are  gliding  through  the  sky. 

6.  The  silver  stream  dances  over  the  pebbles. 

7.  They  gather  the  golden  sheaves  of  wheat. 

8.  The  day  is  dying  now. 

9.  The  seeds  of  the  dandelion  are  floating  on  the 
breeze. 

10.  The  buds  are  rocked  by  the  winter  winds. 

11.  See  the  golden  buttercups. 

12.  The  stars  blossom  in  the  night. 

13.  It  is  spring,  and  the  earth  has  a  .carpet  of  green. 

14.  The  people  swarmed  about  the  parks. 

15.  The  great  arms  of  the  elms  reached  across  the 
road. 

1 6.  The  gentle  wind  kindly  blows  upon  us. 

17.  Baby  has  such  laughing  eyes. 

1 8.  She  has  such  a  bright  face. 

19.  The  rose's  breath  is  sweet  to-day. 

20.  The  frightened  man  roared  for  help. 

123 


i24  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Such  wee  clouds  of  darkness 
Make  everywhere  night; 

Such  wee  glints  of  sunshine 
Make  everything  bright. 


—  Selected. 


THE  WASP   AND   THE   BEE 

A  wasp  met  a  bee  that  was  just  passing  by, 
And  he  said,  "  Little  Cousin,  can  you  tell  me  why 
You  are  loved  so  much  better  by  people  than  I  ? 

"  My  back  shines  as  bright  and  as  yellow  as  gold, 
And  my  shape  is  most  elegant,  too,  to  behold ; 
Yet  nobody  likes  me  for  that,  I  am  told." 

"  Ah,  Cousin,"  said  the  bee,  "  'tis  all  very  true ; 
But  if  I  had  half  as  much  mischief  to  do, 
Indeed  they  would  love  me  no  better  than  you. 

"  You  have  a  fine  shape  and  a  delicate  wing ; 

They  own  you  are  handsome ;  but  there  is  one  thing 

They  cannot  put  up  with  —  and  that  is  your  sting. 

"  My  coat  is  quite  homely  and  plain,  as  you  see, 
Yet  nobody  is  ever  angry  with  me 
Because  I'm  a  harmless  and  diligent  bee." 

—  From  Natttre  Study. 

[Published  by  William  G.  Smith,  Minneapolis,  Minn.] 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  125 


A   FABLE   OF   CLOUDLAND 

Two  clouds  in  the  early  morning 

Came  sailing  up  the  sky  - 
'Twas  summer,  and  the  meadow  lands 

Were  brown  and  baked  and  dry. 

And  the  higher  cloud  was  large  and  black, 

And  of  a  scornful  mind, 
And  he  sailed  as  though  he  turned  his  back 

On  the  smaller  one  behind. 

At  length  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 

He  said  to  his  mate  so  small, 
"  If  I  wasn't  a  bigger  cloud  than  you, 

I  wouldn't  be  one  at  all !  " 

And  the  little  cloud  that  held  her  place 

So  low  along  the  sky, 
Grew  red  and  purple  in  the  face, 

And  then  began  to  cry ! 

And  the  great  cloud  thundered  out  again 

As  loud  as  loud  could  be, 
"  Lag  lowly  still,  and  cry  if  you  will, 

I'm  going  to  go  to  sea ! 

"  The  land  doesn't  give  me  back  a  smile, 

I  will  leave  it  to  the  sun, 
And  will  show  you  something  worth  your  while, 

Before  the  day  is  done." 


iz6  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

So  off  he  ran  without  a  stop, 

Upon  his  sea  voyage  bent, 
And  he  never  shed  a  single  drop 

On  the  dry  land  as  he  went. 

And  directly  came  a  rumble, 

Along  the  air  so  dim, 
And  then  a  crash,  and  then  a  dash  ; 

And  the  sea  had  swallowed  him ! 

"  I  don't  make  any  stir  at  all," 
Said  the  little  cloud  with  a  sigh, 

And  her  tears  began  like  rain  to  fall 
On  the  meadows  parched  and  dry. 

And  over  the  rye  and  the  barley 

They  fell  and  fell  all  day, 
And  soft  and  sweet  on  the  fields  of  wheat, 

Till  she  wept  her  heart  away. 

And  the  bean  flowers  and  the  buckwheat, 

They  scented  all  the  air, 
And  in  the  time  of  harvest 

There  was  bread  enough  and  to  spare. 

I  know  a  man  like  that  great  cloud, 

As  like  as  like  can  live, 
And  he  gives  his  alms,  like  thunder-cloud, 

Where  there's  no  need  to  give. 

And  I  know  a  woman  who  doth  keep 
Where  praise  comes  not  at  all, 

Like  the  modest  cloud  that  could  but  weep 
Because  she  was  so  small. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  127 

The  name  of  the  one  the  poor  will  bless 

When  her  day  shall  cease  to  be, 
And  the  other  shall  fall  as  profitless 

As  the  cloud  did  in  the  sea. 

—  ALICE  GARY. 

STUDIES 

Line  I .     (a)  What  hint  ?     (b)  What  does  it  make  you  recall  ? 

Line  2.  (a)  What  does  "  sailing  "  make  you  think  of  ?  (b)  What 
does  "  sailing  up  the  sky  "  make  you  think  of  ? 

Line  3.     Make  hints  for  "  'Twas  summer." 

Lines  3,  4.     What  hint  ? 

Line  5.     Did  you  ever  see  such  a  cloud  ? 

Lines  7,  8.  If  this  were  a  person  what  kind  of  a  person  would 
it  be? 

Line  9.     What  does  "  voice  of  thunder"  make  you  think  of  ? 

line  10.  (a)  What  is  meant  by  "his  mate"  ?  (b)  Tell  what 
you  think  his  mate  is  like,  (c)  Where  is  it  ? 

Lines  11,  12.     What  hint  about  the  big  cloud  ? 

Lines  13-16.  (a)  What  hints?  (b)  What  does  "the  little 
cloud  "  make  you  think  of  ? 

Lines  17,  18.  (a)  What  did  the  great  cloud  do  ?  (b)  What 
usually  happens  then  ?  (c)  Can  you  think  of  a  time  when  it  didn't  ? 
(Explain  thunder.  Tell  them  a  story  or  myth.) 

Lines  19,  20.  (a)  Where  was  the  big  cloud  going  ?  (b)  What 
for  ?  (c)  Any  hint  ?  (d)  What  do  you  want  the  little  cloud  to  do  ? 
(e)  What  could  the  big  cloud  have  done  ? 

Lines  21-24.  O)  Why  didn't  he  ?  (b)  What  hints  ?  (c)  What 
does  "  the  day  is  done  "  mean  ?  (d)  What  other  way  can  you  tell 
the  same  thing  ?  (e)  Can  you  think  of  any  particular  thing  that 
ever  happened  to  you  at  twilight  ?  (/)  Tell  with  ..the  prettiest 
words  you  can  think  of. 

Lines  25-28.     What  hints  ? 

Lines  29-31.     Tell  of  some  time  this  makes  you  think  of:  — 

(a)  "  a  rumble 
Along  the  air  so  dim." 

(b)  "  Then  a  crash  and  then  a  dash." 


iz8  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

Line  32.     (a)  What  is  meant  ?     (£)  How  could  it  ? 

Lines  32-36.  (a)  What  hint  ?  (£)  Do  you  think  the  same  of 
the  little  cloud  now  as  you  did  in  line  10  ?  If  not,  why  ?  (V)  If 
the  little  cloud  were  a  person,  what  kind  of  a  person  would  it  be  ? 
(d)  What  are  the  cloud's  tears  ?  (e)  What  does  "  On  the  meadows  " 
make  you  think  of  ? 

Line  38.     What  is  meant  by  "They"? 

Line  39.  Tell  of  some  particular  times  the  following  make  you 
think  of :  — 

(a)  «  Soft  and  sweet."     (6)  "  Fields  of  wheat." 

Line  40.     What  hint  ? 

Lines  41-44.  (a)  What  are  «  bean  flowers  "?  (b)  What  is  "buck- 
wheat" ?  (c)  How  does  a  field  of  buckwheat  look  ?  (d)  What 
does  "  scented  all  the  air  "  mean  ?  (e)  Tell  of  some  time  it  makes 
you  think  of.  (/")  What  does  "  in  the  time  of  the  harvest "  mean  ? 
(g)  Tell  of  some  time  it  makes  you  think  of.  (h)  What  hints  in 
these  lines  ?  (i)  Which  cloud  do  you  like  best  ?  Why  ?  (/ )  What 
lesson  for  us  ? 

Suggestions.  —  Omit  the  last  three  stanzas.  Prepare  for  the  poem 
by  talks  on  clouds.  Take  only  so  much  of  the  lines  at  a  time  as  a 
question  calls  for. 


IV 

SELECTIONS   AND   STUDIES   IN   THE 
THEME 

(SEE  CHAPTER  IV) 

A  LESSON 

Though  young  birds  in  flying  fall, 
Still  their  wings  grow  stronger, 

And  the  next  time  they  can  keep 
Up  a  little  longer. 

Though  the  sturdy  oak  has  known 

Many  a  blast  that  bowed  her, 
She  has  risen  again  and  grown 

Loftier  and  prouder. 

—  PHCEBE  GARY. 

LITTLE  DROPS   OF  WATER 

Little  drops  of  water, 

Little  grains  of  sand, 
Make  the  mighty  ocean 

And  the  pleasant  land. 

And  the  little  minutes, 

Humble  though  they  be, 
Make  the  mighty  ages 

Of  eternity. 

—  Selected. 
K  129 


i3o  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 


THE   FOUR   SUNBEAMS 

Four  little  sunbeams  came  earthward  one  day, 
Shining  and  dancing  along  on  their  way. 

One  sunbeam  ran  in  at  a  low  cottage  door, 

And  played  "hide  and  seek"  with  a  child  on  the  floor, 

Till  baby  laughed  loud  in  his  glee, 
And  chased  with  delight  his  playmate  so  bright, 
The  little  hands  grasping  in  vain  for  the  light 

That  ever  before  them  would  flee. 

One  crept  to  the  couch  where  an  invalid  lay, 

And  brought  him  a  dream  of  the  sweet  summer  day, 

Its  bird-song  and  beauty  and  bloom ; 
Till  pain  was  forgotten  and  weary  unrest, 
And  in  fancy  he  roamed  through  the  scenes  he  loved 
best, 

Far  away  from  the  dim,  darkened  room. 

One  stole  to  the  heart  of  a  flower  that  was  sad, 
And  loved  and  caressed  her  until  she  was  glad, 
And  lifted  her  white  face  again. 

And  one,  where  a  little  blind  girl  sat  alone 
Not  sharing  the  mirth  of  her  playfellows,  shone 

On  hands  that  were  folded  and  pale, 
And  kissed  the  poor  eyes  that  had  never  known  sight, 
That  never  would  gaze  on  the  beautiful  light 

Till  angels  had  lifted  the  veil. 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  131 

At  last,  when  the  shadows  of  evening  were  falling, 
And  the  sun,  their  great  father,  his  children  were  calling, 
Four  sunbeams  sped  into  the  west ; 


Then  softly  they  sank  to  their  rest. 

—  M.  K.  B. 


THE   BEE,  CLOVER,  AND   THISTLE 

A  bee  from  the  hive  one  morning  flew, 

A  tune  to  the  daylight  humming ; 
And  away  she  went  o'er  the  sparkling  dew, 
Where  the  grass  was  green,  the  violet  blue, 

And  the  gold  of  the  sun  was  coming. 

And  what  first  tempted  the  roving  bee, 

Was  a  head  of  the  crimson  clover. 
"  I've  found  a  treasure  betimes  ! "  said  she ; 
"  And  perhaps  a  greater  I  might  not  see, 

If  I  traveled  the  field  all  over." 

The  flow'rets  were  thick  which  the  clover  crowned, 

As  the  plumes  in  the  helm  of  Hector ; 
And  each  had  a  cell  that  was  deep  and  round, 
Yet  it  would  not  impart,  as  the  bee  soon  found, 
One  drop  of  its  precious  nectar. 

Then  she  flew  to  one,  that,  by  man  and  beast, 
Was  shunned  for  its  stinging  bristle ; 

But  it  injured  not  the  bee  in  the  least ; 

And  she  filled  her  pocket,  and  had  a  feast, 
From  the  bloom  of  the  purple  thistle. 

—  HANNAH  F.  GOULD. 


LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 


DAFFODILS 

I  wandered  lonely  as  a  cloud 

That  floats  on  high  o'er  vales  and  hills, 

When  all  at  once  I  saw  a  cloud, 

A  host  of  golden  daffodils ; 

Beside  the  lake,  beneath  the  trees, 

Fluttering  and  dancing  in  the  breeze. 

Continuous  as  the  stars  that  shine 
And  twinkle  on  the  milky  way, 
They  stretched  in  never  ending  line 
Along  the  margin  of  a  bay : 
Ten  thousand  saw  I  at  a  glance, 
Tossing  their  heads  in  sprightly  dance. 

The  waves  beside  them  danced,  but  they 

Outdid  the  sparkling  waves  in  glee :  — 

A  poet  could  not  but  be  gay, 

In  such  a  jocund  company : 

I  gazed  —  and  gazed  —  but  little  thought 

What  wealth  the  show  to  me  had  brought. 

For  oft  when  on  my  couch  I  lie 
In  vacant  or  in  pensive  mood, 
They  flash  upon  that  inward  eye 
Which  is  the  bliss  of  solitude, 
And  then  my  heart  with  pleasure  fills 
And  dances  with  the  daffodils. 

—  WORDSWORTH. 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  133 


WHAT   THE   BURDOCK  WAS   GOOD   FOR 

"  Good  for  nothing,"  the  farmer  said, 

As  he  made  a  sweep  at  the  burdock's  head ; 

But  then  it  was  best,  no  doubt, 

To  come  some  day  and  root  her  out. 

So  he  lowered  his  scythe,  and  went  his  way, 

To  see  his  corn,  or  gather  his  hay  ; 

And  the  weed  grew7  safe  and  strong  and  tall, 

Close  by  the  side  of  the  garden  wall. 

"  Good  for  home,"  cried  the  little  toad, 
As  he  hopped  up  out  of  the  dusty  road. 
He  had  just  been  having  a  dreadful  fright,  — 
The  boy  who  gave  it  was  still  in  sight. 
Here  it  was  cool,  and  dark,  and  green, 
The  safest  kind  of  a  leafy  screen. 
The  toad  was  happy  :  "  For,"  said  he, 
"The  burdock  was  plainly  meant  for  me." 

"  Good  for  a  prop,"  the  spider  thought, 
And  to  and  fro  with  care  he  wrought, 
Till  he  fastened  it  well  to  an  evergreen 
And  spun  his  cables  fine  between. 


"  Good  for  play,"  said  a  child  perplexed 
To  know  what  frolic  was  coming  next ; 
So  she  gathered  the  burs  that  all  despised, 
And  her  city  playmates  were  quite  surprised 


I34  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

To  see  what  a  beautiful  basket  or  chair 
Could  be  made  with  a  little  time  and  care. 
They  ranged  their  treasures  around  with  pride, 
And  played  all  day  by  the  burdock's  side. 

—  Selected. 


NOVEMBER 

The  leaves  are  fading  and  falling, 
The  winds  are  rough  and  wild, 

The  birds  have  ceased  their  calling, 
But  let  me  tell  you,  my  child, 

Though  day  by  day  as  it  closes, 
Doth  darker  and  colder  grow, 

The  roots  of  the  bright  red  roses 
Will  keep  alive  in  the  snow. 

And  when  the  winter  is  over, 
The  boughs  will  get  new  leaves, 

The  quail  will  come  back  to  the  clover, 
And  the  swallow  back  to  the  eaves. 

The  robin  will  wear  on  his  bosom 
A  vest  that  is  bright  and  new, 

And  the  loveliest  wayside  blossom 
Will  shine  with  the  sun  and  dew. 

The  leaves  to-day  are  whirling, 
The  brooks  are  all  dry  and  dumb, 

But  let  me  tell  you,  my  darling, 
The  spring  will  be  sure  to  come. 


SELECTIONS   AND    STUDIES  135 

There  must  be  rough  cold  weather, 

And  winds  and  rains  so  wild ; 
Not  all  good  things  together 

Come  to  us  here,  my  child. 

So  when  some  dear  joy  loses 

Its  beauteous  summer  glow, 
Think  how  the  roots  of  the  roses 

Are  kept  alive  in  the  .snow. 


—  ALICE  CARY. 


STUDIES 


Line  i .  (a)  Of  what  do  you  think  when  you  hear  me  say,  "  The 
leaves  are  fading  and  falling  "  ?  (b)  What  hint  in  those  words  ? 

Line  2.     Makes  you  think  of  what? 

Line  3.  (a)  Means  what?  (£)  Tell  it  in  the  prettiest  way  you 
can. 

Line  4.  (Omit  until  you  give  the  poem  to  the  pupils  to  memo- 
rize.) 

Line  5.  (a)  "  Day  as  it  closes"  means  what?  (3)  Makes  you 
think  of  what? 

Lines  5  and  6.     What  hint? 

Line  7.     What  does  "  bright  red  roses  "  make  you  think  of  ? 

Lines  7  and  8.  (a)  Why?  (b)  What  are  roots ?  (c)  Why  do 
you  want  them  kept  alive?  (d)  Did  you  ever  see  a  rosebush  out  in 
the  snow?  (e)  How  did  it  look?  (/)  Was  it  as  it  looked? 
Why?  (g)  What  should  you  think  of  when  you  look  at  it? 
(ti)  Any  lesson  for  us  ? 

Line  9.   "  When  the  winter  is  over,"  makes  you  think  of  what? 

Line  10.  (a)  How?  (b)  Where  do  they  come  from?  (c)  Do 
you  remember  a  time  in  spring  when  you  saw  the  first  new  leaves  on 
a  tree?  (d)  Tell  about  it. 

Where  you  were. 
What  you  were  doing. 
How  everything  looked. 
How  you  felt. 


136  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

Line  11.  (a)  What  can  you  tell  about  the  quail?  (b)  What 
does  "  the  clover  "  make  you  think  of  ?  (c)  Why  would  the  quail 
come  back  to  the  clover? 

Line  12.  (a)  Any  hint?'  (£)  What  do  you  think  about  the 
swallow  ? 

Lines  13  and  14.  (a)  What  hint?  (b)  Tell  all  you  can  of  the 
robin.  (Read  to  them  or  tell  them  Whittier's  poem,  or  tell  them 
the  myth  of  how  the  robin's  breast  became  red.) 

Line  15.     Makes  you  think  of  what  blossom?     Why? 

Line  16.  (a)  Makes  you  think  of  what?  Tell  it  in  the  prettiest 
way  you  can.  (b)  What  do  the  following  tell  you  ?  — 

"  new  leaves." 

"  the  return  of  the  quail." 

"swallow." 

"  robin." 

"shining  wayside  blossoms.17 

(c)  Where  have  they  been?  (d)  Why?  (e)  Any  lesson  for 
us?  What?  (The  last  three  stanzas  may  be  omitted.  The  lesson 
can  be  gained  without  them.) 

FRIENDS 

North  wind  came  whistling  through  the  wood 
Where  the  tender  sweet  things  grew,  — 

The  tall  fair  ferns  and  the  maidenhair 
And  the  gentle  gentians,  blue. 

"  It's  very  cold  —  are  we  growing  old  ? " 
They  sighed,  "  What  shall  we  do  ? " 

The  sigh  went  up  to  the  loving  leaves. 

"We  must  help/'  they  whispered  low; 
"  They  are  frightened  and  weak,  O  brave  old  trees ! 

But  we  love  you  well,  you  know." 
And  the  trees  said,  "  We  are  strong,  make  haste, 

Down  to  the  little  ones  go." 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  137 

So  the  leaves  went  floating,  floating  down, 

All  yellow,  and  brown,  and  red ; 
And  the  frail,  little,  trembling,  thankful  things 

Lay  still  and  were  comforted. 
And  the  blue  sky  smiled  through  the  bare  old  trees, 

Down  on  their  safe  warm  bed. 

—  From   Classic  Stories  for  the  Little  Ones,  by  LIDA  BROWN 

MCMURRAY. 

[Public  School  Publishing  Company,  Bloomington,  111.] 


STUDIES 

Line  i.  What  does  (a)  "North  wind"  make  you  think  of? 
(b)  "Whistling"?  (c)  "Through  the  wood"?  (d)  Can  you  tell 
the  story  about  the  north  wind?  (e)  If  the  north  wind  were  a 
person,  what  kind  of  a  person  would  it  be? 

Line  2.  (a)  What  does  "  tender  sweet  things"  mean?  (b)  What 
does  it  make  you  think  of  ? 

Line  3.  (a)  What  do  you  think  of  when  you  hear  "tall  fair 
ferns"?  {b)  What  is  the  difference  between  these  two  kinds  of 
ferns?  (c)  Can  you  find  both  kinds?  (d)  Where  do  they  grow? 

Line  4.  What  are  gentians?  (A  picture  of  gentians  may  be 
found  in  Autumn  of  All  the  Year  Round.) 

Line  5.  (a)  What  does  "growing  old"  make  you  think  of? 
(b)  Who  said  this?  (c)  Why  did  they  say  it? 

Line  6.     What  hint  in  "  they  sighed  "  ? 

Line  7.     What  do  you  think  of  when  I  say  "  the  loving  leaves  "  ? 

Line  8.  (a)  What  two  hints?  (b)  "Whispered  low"  makes 
you  think  of  what? 

Line  9.    "  Brave  old  trees  "  makes  you  think  of  what? 

Line  10.    Why  did  the  leaves  love  the  trees? 

Lines  n,  12.  (a)  What  hint  about  the  trees?  (b)  What  kind 
of  trees  do  you  think  they  are?  {c)  If  an  oak  tree  were  a  person, 
what  kind  of  a  person  would  it  be  ? 

Line  13.     What  does  "floating"  make  you  think  of  ? 

Line  14.     What  hint  ? 


138  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

Line  15.  (a)  What  does  "  frail  "  mean?  (£)  Does  it  make  you 
think  of  anything?  (V)  What  does  "  trembling  "  make  you  think  of  ? 

Line  16.     Means  what? 

Line  17.  (a}  "  Blue  sky  "  makes  you  think  of  what?  (ft)  What 
does  "  bare  old  trees  "  make  you  think  of  ?  (c)  Why  did  the  sky 
smile? 

Line  18.  (a)  Whose  bed?  (b)  What  made  the  bed  safe  and 
warm?  (V)  What  did  the  leaves  say  they  must  do?  (d)  How  did 
they  help?  (e)  Was  it  much  to  do?  (/)  Did  it  help  much? 
(g)  Any  lesson  for  us  ? 


STORY   OF   A   BLACKBIRD 


But  summer  lasts  not  always, 

And  the  leaves  they  faded  brown ; 

And  when  the  breeze  went  over  the  trees, 
They  fluttered  down  and  down. 

The  robin,  and  wren,  and  bluebird, 

They  sought  a  kindlier  clime ; 
But  the  blackbird  cried,  in  his  foolish  pride, 

"  I'll  see  my  own  good  time  !  " 

And  whistled,  whistled,  and  whistled, 

Perhaps  to  hide  his  pain ; 
Until,  one  day,  the  air  grew  gray 

With  the  slant  of  the  dull,  slow  rain. 

And  stiffer  winds  at  sunset 

Began  to  beat  and  blow  ; 
And  next  daylight  the  ground  was  white 

With  a  good  inch  depth  of  snow. 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  139 

And  oh  !  for  the  foolish  blackbird, 
That  hadn't  a  house  for  his  head ! 

The  bitter  sleet  began  at  his  feet 
And  chilled  and  killed  him  dead ! 

—  ALICE  GARY. 

STUDIES 

^Line  I.     What  does  summer  make  you  think  of? 

Line  2.  (a)  What  do  " leaves,"  and  "faded  brown"  make  you 
think  of  ?  (b)  What  hint  in  these  two  lines  ? 

Line  3.  Of  what  do  you  think  when  you  hear  "breeze,"  and 
"  over  the  trees  "  ? 

Line  4.  (a)  Means  what?  (£)  "Fluttered"  makes  you  think 
of  what? 

Lines  5  and  6.     Mean  what? 

Lines  7  and  8.     What  does  the  blackbird  think? 

Line  9.     What  does  "whistled "  make  you  think  of? 

Line  10.  (a)  Why  was  he  in  pain?  (£)  What  does  "pain" 
make  you  think  of?  (c)  Why  did  he  whistle?  (d)  What  can  we 
learn  from  this  ? 

Line  1 1 .     "  The  air  grew  gray,"  makes  you  think  of  what  ? 

Line  12.     What  does  "dull,  slow  rain"  make  you  think  of? 

Line  13.     "Sunset"  makes  you  think  of  what? 

Lines  13  and  14.     Tell  you  what? 

Line  15.  (a)  What  does  "daylight"  make  you  think  of? 
(b)  "The  ground  was  white,"  makes  you  think  of  what? 

Line  16.     Means  what? 

Lines  17  and  18.  (a)  What  hint?  (b)  What  should  he  have 
done? 

THE   APPLE   OF   CONTENTMENT 

There  was  once  a  woman  who  had  three  daughters. 
The  two  oldest  dressed  in  their  Sunday  clothes  every 
day  and  sat  doing  nothing.  Christine,  the  youngest, 
who  was  very  pretty  and  who  looked  not  at  all  like  her 


i4o  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

sisters  or  her  mother,  dressed  in  nothing  but  rags  and 
had  to  drive  the  geese  to  the  hills  every  morning  and 
back  at  night.  The  first  and  second  sisters  had  white 
bread,  and  butter,  and  as  much  milk  as  they  could 
drink ;  but  Christine  had  to  eat  cheese  parings  and  a 
few  bread  crusts. 

One  morning  as  she  went  to  the  hills  and  worked  on 
her  knitting  as  she  went  along,  just  as  she  came  to  the 
bridge  across  the  brook,  there  on  an  elder  branch  she 
saw  hanging  a  little  red  cap  with  a  little  silver  bell  at 
the  point  of  it.  She  looked  at  it  a  long  time  before 
taking  it  down,  then  she  smoothed  it  out  nicely  and  put 
it  carefully  into  her  pocket.  She  had  gone  but  a  few 
steps  with  her  geese,  when  she  heard  a  voice  calling, 
" Christine!  Christine!" 

She  turned  ctnd  saw  the  queerest  little  man,  with  a 
great  head  covered  with  gray  hair,  and  a  very  small 
body. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Oh !  I  only  want  my  cap  again,  for  without  it  I 
cannot  go  back  to  my  home  in  the  hill." 

"  But  how  did  it  come  to  be  hanging  from  the  bush  ?" 
said  Christine. 

"  I  was  fishing,  when  a  puff  of  wind  came,  and  I 
hung  it  up  there  to  dry.  Now,  will  you  please  give  it 
tome?" 

"  It's  a  pretty  cap,"  said  Christine.  "  How  much 
will  you  give  me  for  it  ? " 

"  I  will  gladly  give  you  five  dollars  for  it,"  said  the 
little  man. 

"No,  that  is  not  enough  —  see,  here  is  a  little  silver 
bell  hanging  from  the  top  of  it,  too." 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  141 

"Well,"  said  the  little  man,  "I  will  give  you  a  hun- 
dred dollars  for  it." 

"  No,"  said  Christine.  "  I  don't  care  for  money. 
What  else  will  you  give  me  ? " 

"  See,  Christine,  I  will  give  you  this  :  "  and  he  showed 
her  something  that  looked  like  a  little  black  bean. 

"Yes;  but  what  is  it?" 

"That,"  said  the  little  man,  "is  a  seed  from  the 
apple  of  contentment.  Plant  it,  and  a  tree  will  grow 
from  it,  and  on  the  tree  an  apple.  Everybody  that  sees 
it  will  want  it,  but  nobody  can  pick  it  but  you.  While 
you  have  the  apple  you  will  never  want  for  food  or 
clothes.  And  besides,  as  soon  as  you  pick  it,  another 
as  good  will  grow  in  its  place.  Now  will  you  give  me 
my  cap  ? " 

"Oh!  yes,"  said  Christine. 

He  put  on  the  cap  and  instantly  disappeared. 

Christine  took  the  seed  home  and  planted  it.  The 
next  morning  when  she  opened  her  window,  she  saw  a 
beautiful  tree  with  a  golden  apple  hanging  on  it.  She 
picked  it,  and  she  thought  she  had  never  eaten  anything 
so  good  before. 

When  her  oldest  sister  came  out  she  just  stood  and 
looked  at  the  tree  with  its  golden  apple.  By-and-by 
she  began  to  want  the  apple.  She  reached  and  reached, 
she  climbed  and  climbed,  but  she  could  not  get  it. 
Then  she  frowned,  pouted,  and  stamped  her  feet. 

Then  the  second  sister  came  out,  and  she  did  just  as 
the  first  had  done.  At  last  the  mother  came,  and  she 
also  tried  to  pick  the  apple.  But  it  was  of  no  use. 
Christine  had  nothing  to  do  but  pick  the  apple  whenever 
she  wanted  it. 


142  LESSONS    IN   ENGLISH 

One  day  the  king  came  along,  and  seeing  the  golden 
apple,  sent  one  of  his  servants  to  ask  if  he  might  buy  it 
for  a  piece  of  gold.  The  mother  said  he  might.  She 
took  the  gold,  and  then  told  him  to  pick  the  apple. 
But  he  couldn't  get  it.  He  went  and  told  the  king  that 
the  woman  had  taken  the  money  for  the  apple,  but  that 
he  could  not  pick  it,  and  told  him  how  he  had  tried  and 
what  had  happened.  The  king  sent  others,  but  none 
of  them  could  pick  it.  Then  he  went  himself,  but  he 
could  do  no  more  than  the  others  had  done.  By  this 
time  the  king  was  so  anxious  for  the  apple  that  he 
offered  the  woman  a  pot  of  gold  for  it  if  she  would  get 
it  for  him.  But  she  said  that  she  had  tried  and  could 
not  pick  it  herself.  So  the  king  had  to  ride  home  with- 
out so  much  as  a  smell  of  the  apple. 

After  he  had  gone  home,  he  could  talk,  and  think,  and 
dream  of  nothing  but  that  beautiful  golden  apple ;  for 
the  more  he  couldn't  get  it  the  more  he  wanted  it.  At 
last  he  grew  very  sad  and  sick,  and  then  he  sent  for  the 
wise  man  of  his  kingdom,  and  asked  if  there  was  any 
way  of  his  getting  the  apple.  The  wise  man  said  that 
the  owner  of  the  tree  was  the  only  one  who  could  pick 
the  apple. 

So  the  king  went  back  to  the  cottage  and  asked  to 
whom  the  tree  belonged.  The  woman  said  that  it 
belonged  to  her  eldest  daughter.  Then  the  king  said 
that  she  must  pick  the  apple  for  him.  But  the  mother 
said :  "  She  must  not  climb  the  tree  before  you.  If  you 
will  return  to  your  palace,  I  will  send  it  to  you  in  good 
time." 

The  king  said,  "Very  well,  but  you  must  be  very 
quick  about  it." 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  143 

When  the  king  had  gone  they  sent  for  Christine  and 
made  her  pick  the  apple.  Then  the  eldest  daughter 
wrapped  it  in  a  napkin  and  set  off  for  the  king's 
house. 

When  the  king  opened  the  napkin  there  was  nothing 
in  it  but  a  stone.  He  jumped  from  his  chair,  stamped 
his  foot,  and  asked  what  she  meant  by  bringing  him 
that  instead  of  the  apple.  The  poor  girl  burst  into 
tears  and  the  king  told  them  to  put  her  out  of  the 
palace. 

Then  he  sent  the  steward  to  see  if  there  was  not 
another  daughter.  Then  the  mother  said,  "  Yes,  there 
is  another  daughter,  and  the  tree  really  belongs  to  her. 
You  go  back  home  and  she  will  bring  it  to  you  in  a 
short  time." 

Then  they  sent  for  Christine  again  and  made  her 
pick  the  apple,  and  give  it  to  the  second  daughter, 
who  wrapped  it  in  a  napkin,  and  set  out  for  the  king's 
palace.  But  when  the  king  opened  the  napkin  there 
was  nothing  in  it  but  a  round  lump  of  mud.  Then  he 
acted  worse  than  before,  and  sent  the  girl  home  with 
some  awful  threats.  She  went  home  sobbing  and 
trembling. 

Then  the  king  sent  the  steward  to  the  cottage  to  see 
if  there  were  not  other  daughters.  The  mother  said, 
"  Yes,  there  is  another  daughter,  but  she  is  very  ugly 
and  untidy  and  ill-tempered  and  fit  for  nothing  but 
to  tend  geese."  The  steward  said  that  she  must  come 
and  try  to  pick  the  apple.  So  they  sent  for  her.  When 
she  came  the  steward  asked  her  if  she  could  pick  the 
apple.  She  reached  up  and  picked  it  easily. 

Then  the  steward  said  that  she  must  carry  it  to  the 


H4  LESSONS   IN    ENGLISH 

king.  So  she  slipped  it  into  her  pocket  and  went  with 
the  steward  to  the  palace. 

When  they  reached  the  palace  everybody  tittered  and 
laughed  at  the  ragged  goose  girl.  But  the  steward  did 
not  care  a  bit.  He  took  her  right  in  before  the  king, 
and  the  king  asked  if  she  had  brought  the  apple. 

"Yes,  here  it  is,"  said  Christine,  and  she  thrust  her 
hand  into  her  apron  pocket  and  brought  forth  the  very 
apple  and  gave  it  to  the  king.  Then  the  king  took  a 
great  bite  of  it,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  tasted  it,  he  said 
it  was  the  most  delicious  thing  he  had  ever  had.  Then 
he  looked  at  Christine  and  thought  that  she  was  the 
most  beautiful  girl  that  he  had  ever  seen.  Then  he 
asked  Christine  how  she  had  ever  got  such  a  tree,  and 
Christine  told  him  all  about  it.  So  the  king  ordered 
that  she  should  live  in  his  palace,  and  that  the  tree 
should  be  brought  and  planted  under  her  chamber 
window.  As  for  Christine's  rags,  he  minded  them  not 
at  all,  for  he  had  eaten  of  the  apple  of  contentment. 
And  the  king  lived  to  be  a  very  old  man,  and  a  great 
king,  and  was  very  happy,  and  everybody  loved  him, 
and  when  he  died  the  people  mourned  for  him  a  long 
time.  And  all  this  came  about  because  he  had  eaten  of 

the  apple  of  contentment. 

—  Adapted  from  Pepper  and  Salt. 

[Copyright,  1885,  by  Harper  Brothers.] 

THE   ANT   AND   THE   GRASSHOPPER 

One  warm  summer  day  an  ant  was  busy  in  the  field 
gathering  grains  of  wheat  and  corn  for  his  winter  food. 
A  grasshopper  saw  him  at  work,  and  laughed  at  him  for 
working  so  hard,  when  others  were  having  a  good  time. 


SELECTIONS   AND   STUDIES  145 

The  ant  said  nothing.  But  when  winter  came  and 
the  ground  was  frozejp.  the  poor  grasshopper  was  nearly 
dead  with  hunger,  and  came  to  the  ant  to  beg  something 
to  eat.  Then  the  ant  said  to  him  :  — 

"  If  you  had  worked  when  I  did,  instead  of  laughing 
at  me,  you  would  not  now  be  in  need  of  food." 

THE   DOG   AND    HIS   IMAGE 

A  dog,  with  a  bit  of  meat  in  his  mouth,  was  crossing 
a  river.  Looking  down  he  saw  his  image  in  the  water 
and  thought  it  was  another  dog  with  a  larger  piece. 
He  dropped  what  he  had  and  jumped  into  the  water 
after  the  other  piece.  So  he  lost  both  pieces —  the  one 
he  had  and  the  one  he  wanted. 

.  THE   FARMER   AND   THE   STORK 

A  farmer  set  a  net  in  his  field  to  catch  the  cranes  that 
were  eating  his  grain.  He  caught  the  cranes  and  a 
stork  that  was  with  them.  The  stork  was  lame,  and 
begged  the  farmer  to  let  him  go. 

"  I  am  not  a  crane,"  he  said.  "  I  am  a  stork.  I  am  a 
very  good  bird,  and  take  care  of  my  father  and  mother. 
Look  at  my  skin,  — it  is  not  the  color  of  the  crane's." 

The  farmer  said :  "  I  do  not  know  how  that  is.  I 
caught  you  with  the  cranes,  and  with  the  cranes  you 
must  die." 

THE  TORTOISE   AND   THE   HARE 

A  hare  once  laughed  and  made  fun  of  a  tortoise. 
"  How  slow  you  are  I  How  you  creep  along  I  "  he  said. 


146  LESSONS    IN    ENGLISH 

"  Do  I  ?  "  said  the  tortoise.  "  Try  a  race  with  me,  and 
I  will  beat  you." 

"  You  only  say  that  for  fun,"  said  the  hare.  "  But 
come!  I  will  race  with  you." 

They  asked  the  fox  to  show  them  where  to  start  and 
how  far  to  run. 

The  tortoise  started  at  once  and  jogged  straight  on. 

The  hare  knew  he  could  reach  the  goal  in  two  or 
three  jumps,  so  he  lay  down  and  took  a  nap  first.  After 
a  while  he  awoke,  then  ran  as  fast  as  he  could;  but 
when  he  reached  the  end,  the  tortoise  sat  waiting  for 
him. 

THE  WOLF   AND   THE   SHEPHERD 

A  wolf  once  walked  behind  a  flock  of  sheep,  and  did 
them  no  harm.  At  first  the  shepherd  thought  him  an 
enemy,  and  kept  a  close  watch ;  but  when  the  wolf  made 
no  attempt  to  hurt  the  sheep,  the  shepherd  began  to 
think  he  was  as  good  as  a  watch-dog. 

So  one  day  when  the  shepherd  went  to  the  city,  he 
left  the  sheep  in  care  of  the  wolf.  That  was  the  chance 
the  wolf  had  been  waiting  for.  When  the  shepherd 
came  back  and  saw  the  sheep  scattered,  and  many  of 
them  gone,  he  said,  "It  serves  me  right." 


THE   ARAB   AND    HIS   CAMEL 

One  very  cold  night,  as  an  Arab  sat  in  his  tent,  a 
camel  pushed  the  flap  of  the  tent  aside  and  looked  in. 

"  Please,  master,"  he  said,  "  let  me  put  my  head  inside 
the  tent,  for  it  is  cold  outside." 


SELECTIONS    AND    STUDIES  147 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  Arab,  cheerfully ;  so  the  camel 
stretched  his  head  into  the  tent. 

Presently  the  camel  said,  "  If  I  might  but  warm  my 
neck  also." 

"  Put  your  neck  in  also,"  said  the  Arab. 

Soon  the  camel,  who  had  been  looking  all  around  the 
tent,  said  again :  "  It  will  take  but  a  little  more  room  if 
I  put  my  fore  legs  inside.  It  is  hard  to  stand  this  way." 

The  Arab  moved  a  little,  and  said,  "You  may  put 
your  fore  legs  in  also." 

"  May  I  not  stand  wholly  inside  ? "  asked  the  camel, 
finally. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  Arab.     "Come  inside." 

So  the  camel  crowded  into  the  tent. 

They  crowded  each  other  very  much ;  so  presently 
the  camel  said,  "  I  think  you  had  better  stand  outside." 

The  Arab  did  not  want  to  go,  so  the  camel  began  to 
push  him.  Then  the  Arab  made  haste  to  get  on  the 
outside  of  the  tent. 


INDEX 


Adrift,  48. 

Ant  and  the  Grasshopper,  The,  144. 
Apple  of  Contentment,  The,  139. 
Arab  and  his  Camel,  The,  146. 
Arbutus,  113. 
Autumn  Leaves,  109. 

Bee,  Clover  and  Thistle,  The,  131. 
Bryant,  W.  C.,  selection  from,  39. 

Gary,  Alice,   selections  from,  39,  125, 

134,  138. 

Gary,  Phoebe,  selection  from,  129. 
Composition,  Laws  of,  48. 
Cooper,  George,  selection  from,  109. 
Coordination,  48. 
Curtis,  Helen  B.,  selection  from,  121. 

Daffodils,  132. 

Daisy,  The,  116. 

Davie  and  May,  76. 

Davis,  Ruth,  selection  from,  101. 

Dividing,  74. 

Dog  and  his  Image,  The,  145. 

Dugan,  Caro  A.,  selection  from,  105. 

Effects,  of  incident,  3;  of  mood,  4;  of 
character,  5 ;  of  kind,  5 ;  of  degree, 
5;  Direct,  7;  Second-hand,  7;  Nega- 
tive, 8;  Outline  of,  5;  Overlapping 
of,  5;  How  to  teach,  n;  First  steps 
in  teaching,  n;  Second  step,  12; 
Third  step,  12 ;  Fourth  step,  14 ;  How 
to  rewrite  lessons  on,  10;  Selections 
for  study  of,  55 ;  in  pictures,  57. 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  selection  from, 
117. 

Emotional  Words  and  Phrases,  22. 

Evening  Cloud,  The,  no. 


Fable  of  Cloudland,  ^,125. 

Fascinating  Tale,  A,  52. 

Farmer  and  the  Stork,  The,  145. 

Ferns,  The,  107. 

Follen,  Mrs.,  selection  from,  97. 

Forms,  Suggestions  on  teaching,  51. 

Four  Sunbeams,  The,  130. 

Fred's  Pets,  58. 

Friends,  136. 

Frog  learns  a  Lesson,  The,  65. 

Frost,  The,  in. 

Fun  for  Two,  81. 

Good  Lesson,  A,  92. 

Good  Morning,  105. 

Good  Way,  A,  60. 

Gould,   Hannah    F.,   selections    from, 

in,  130. 

Gray,  Thomas,  selection  from,  24. 
Green,  Dorothy,  selections  from,  103, 


Harry  and  Carlo,  57. 

Helping  Hand,  A,  50. 

Hints.     See  Effects. 

How  Fred  Obeyed  Mamma,  82. 

Howitt,  Mary,    selections    from,    115, 

116. 
Hungry  Boy,  A,  10. 

Tngelow,  Jean,  selection  from,  119. 

Jim  the  Bootblack,  77. 

Joe,  79. 

Just  for  Fun,  60. 


Kind  Deeds,  14. 

Kitty's  Christmas  Present,  89. 


149 


150 


INDEX 


Larcom,  Lucy,  selections  from,  99, 118. 

Last  Night  of  Joan  of  Arc,  The,  103. 

Lesson,  A,  129. 

Lessons,  how  to  rewrite,  10;  in  the 
Lowest  Class  of  the  First  Grade,  n, 
29,  35,  107 ;  on  Forms,  51 ;  on  Pic- 
tures, 41. 

Linnet,  The  Green,  105. 

Little  Boys  Victory,  A,  78. 

Little  Christian,  ^,84. 

Little  Drops  of  Water,  129. 

Little  Streams,  102. 

Lost  Hat,  The,  59. 

Lost  Purse,  The,  19. 

Lullaby,  97. 

Marston,  Philip  Bourke,  selection  from, 

24. 

May,  121. 

McMurray,  Lida  Brown,  136. 
Metaphor,  33,  123. 
M.  K.  B.,  selection  from,  130. 
Montgomery    James,   selection    from, 

116. 
Mother's  Good  Night,  113. 

November,  39,  134. 

Only  a  Cent,  90. 
Order,  Law  of,  48. 

Party,  The,  17. 
Pictures,  41. 
Poses,  41. 

Proportion,  Law  of,  48. 
Pussy  Willow,  The,  98. 

Queer  Friends,  62. 

Seed,  The,  101. 
Selection,  Law  of,  48. 


Selections  for  study,  of  effects,  55 ;  of 
emotional  words  and  phrases,  96; 
of  metaphor  and  types,  123 ;  of  the 
theme,  129. 

Seven  Times  One,  119. 

Snow/lakes,  118. 

Spring,  96,  116. 

Stingy  Davy,  87. 

Stop,  Stop,  Pretty  Water,  97. 

Story  of  a  Blackbird,  138. 

Strange  Christmas  Present,  A,  68. 

Subordination,  Law  of,  48. 

Sugar  Thief,  The,  70. 

Suggestions  on  Teaching  Forms,  51. 

Summer,  115. 

Sunbeam,  The,  29. 

Taylor,  Jane,  selections  from,  100,  120. 
Tennyson,  Alfred,  selections  from,  25, 

97- 

Theme,  The,  38. 
To  a  Waterfowl,  39. 
Tortoise  and  Hare,  The,  145. 
Twinkle  Little  Star,  100. 
Types,  33,  123. 

Uncle  Phil's  Story,  63. 
Unity,  Law  of,  48. 

Violet,  The,  99,  120. 

Wasp  and  the  Bee,  The,  124. 
We  Thank  Thee,  117. 
Wee  Clouds  of  Darkness,  Such,  124. 
What  the  Brook  Saw,  86. 
What  the  Burdock  was  Good  for,  133. 
Who  Got  the  Nuts  f  72. 
Wilson,  John,  selection  from,  no. 
Winter  Wind,  104. 
Wise  Boy,  A,  66. 

Wolf  and  the  Shepherd,  The,  145. 
Wordsworth,  William,  selections  from, 
23,  104,  105, 132. 


YB  02 1 44 


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